Waters of Change
by BananaSkins
Summary: After a fight with Sonic weeks before, Amy finally decides to move on from him. But as a dark plot reveals itself, the lives of Sonic and his friends are put to the test, as well as the relationship between him and Amy. Contains little fluffiness.
1. Prologue

**Authors Note:  
This is my first fanfic. I have had this idea for a while so I wrote this quick chapter while waiting for my newbie 2-day period to end. And so it has :D I hope all you Sonamy fans enjoy this :) maybe even some non- sonamy fans? Anyway please enjoy, and I accept constructive criticism with open arms. **

**And just for reference:  
Sonic- 16  
Amy-15**

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**~Waters of Change~**

**Prologue**

Another ordinary night.

The pearly moon lights up the landscape, giving off a glowing effect to everything the moonbeams touch. Trees rustle in the warm, fragrant summer air, the crisp surfaces rubbing against each other. A slight breeze whistles though blades of grass, playing a lullaby for those who sleep. Stars litter the sky, twinkling as they look down on the peaceful setting. Fireflies dance through the air, twirling and tumbling down into the soft earth below. All is calm.

Or at least, until a high pitch scream slices through the night.

Amy Rose can be seen, tossing and turning in her bed. Her hands clamp around her blanket into tight fists, and her teeth grind against each other. She is wrestling through the night, fighting with her dreams as they become nightmares.

"_Whoa, what happened?"_

_One minute Sonic and __Amy were laughing and chasing each other through the wheat field, but the next……………where's Sonic?_

"_SOOOOOOONIIIIIIC!" called out the pink hedgehog, searching for her love. But there was nothing to be seen but the tall wheat in the field around. Suddenly she felt the ground shaking beneath her. She crouched down to keep herself balanced, and whipped out her Piko Piko hammer. Her eyes narrowed, searching between the blades of grass, trying to detect any movement._

_An evil cackle broke the silence. __There was only one person with such an evil, such a loud, such an……… annoying laugh._

"_Eggman?" Amy called out, trying to sound braver than she was. Where was that stupid blue hero when you need him? "Come on out Eggman." she shouted, a little braver. "I've beaten up too many of your robots to count, I can handle one more." She swung the hammer round to prove a point, liking the hissing noise it made as it cut through air._

"_Oh really?" the evil genius rasped back. The quaking started again, and a giant robot, the size of a small skyscraper rose from the wheat._

"_Whoa, where did that come from?" Thought Amy as she sweat dropped. Suddenly the familiar whoosh of air swept into Amy as her hero dashed by. He screeched to a halt in front of her. His emerald eyes stared back into the others, and his quills swayed in the wind, his perfect blue quills. For some crazy reason Amy thought that…. maybe…. he would…._

"_AMY! RUUUN!" he warned, and seized her hand._

"_Oh well," she thought as he tugged her through the grass. "At least I get to hold his hand." The robot was gaining, each step crushing millions of life forms beneath the metallic feet, slicing grass like paper. Amy could feel her breath getting shorter, and she was about to call out to Sonic to get him to slow down, when a stupid tree branch got in the way._

_She__ felt my feet buckle as Sonic's hand slipped out of her grasp. Amy landed face first, getting a mouthful of mud. "SOOOOOOOONNIIIC!!!!!!!" Cried out the pink hedgehog, but he was too fast, too long gone. She coughed out dirt as the monster peeled her slimy body off the ground. Amy slowly turned around to see big red glass eyes staring right back. She screamed one last time as it held her in the palm of its hand and began closing it into a tight fist._

_The metallic walls closed in around __her, and she felt claustrophobic as her head span round and everything went blurry. _

_He didn't even look back…_

Amy sat up, sweat and tears pouring down her face and dropping sadly onto her duvet. Her shining emerald eyes grew wide, and her pupils shrank.

Yes, it was just another ordinary night…

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**Authors Note:  
Yay, first chapter up :D I will try and upload a new one or two every week but there are exams going on next week so I should be revising really..... oh well!**

**I got inspiration from this based on a Sonamy video I made. If you don't mind the story being ****slightly spoiled (but the plotline doesn't follow the video exactly) then please check it out. Just visit my YouTube account by clicking on my 'Homepage' link in my profile. The video is called 'A Sonamy Story' **

**~BananaSkins**


	2. Shattered Heart

**I was really happy to get people already subscribing to my story, so I've added a new chapter just for you guys :) I hope you enjoy, even though it's pretty short. This story won't be that long but it will have quite a few chapters. Please enjoy :D**

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**~Waters of Change~**

**Shattered Heart**

"Why me?" pondered Amy Rose as she sat on the ledge of her open window, drinking tea. "What did I do to deserve this?!?" she thought angrily, taking another sip of her bittersweet drink. She used to like her tea with 2 sugars, but recently, she'd gone off it. In fact recently, she's gone off a lot of things.

Amy lent out the window, taking in the fresh morning air. She could vaguely hear her radio chattering away in the background, but her mind was elsewhere. Just a couple of weeks ago her life was fine. Well not exactly fine, she still hadn't managed to get within reach of Sonic's heart, but she was sure she was getting close. That is, until…

She sighed. It had been weeks! She has to remember what happened, or she might never get the courage. Amy closed her eyes and let her mind wander, back to that fateful day…

_It was the nicest day in a long time. Amy could clearly remember that. It had been raining non-stop for the past 2 weeks, but finally the weather eased off. The perfect day for a walk! Quickly slipping on her pink boots, Amy skipped outside, avoiding muddle puddles. After all, she had been cooped up inside for days, without seeing Sonic! So she made my way to his house, humming as she went. But alas, he wasn't home._

_Deciding to not feel bad, Amy arranged with Cream to go shopping at Station Square mall. She had some spare money from waitressing jangling in her pocket. As she sat on a bench in front of the doughnut place, Amy felt the swoosh as a blue blur whizzed by. Sonic! She forgot all about the shopping and rushed over to the chili dog stand; his favourite spot._

"_SOOOONIC!" Amy cried, overjoyed to see him. He turned around, and to her surprise, looked annoyed. He paid for the food and rushed off before Amy could reach him. This didn't really surprise her, but the scowl was another thing entirely. Deciding to not let it bother her, Amy pursued him as he ran through the park. He turned around occasionally to see if the pink blur was still following him. Eventually Amy caught up. He must have wanted to see her really, or he would have just zoomed away. Amy was just reaching a hand out to grab him when Sonic randomly braked. The pink hedgehog crashed into the blue one, and they both went toppling over onto the gravel._

_Amy quickly got up. "Sonic, sorry, are you okay?" She pulled at his arm, but he pushed it away. Hurt but still confident she asked "Hey Sonic. Anybody there? Helloooo?" He slowly rose and Amy saw his shoulders rise as he took a deep breath, and faced her, with…. pure hate etched upon his face, and he said the hateful words that could never be taken back…_

Amy gasped as she came back to reality. Her chest felt as though it as burning and she gasped for breath. Not yet, it's too early to remember that. Her heart still hurt, it still felt shattered, as though it was made of the thinnest glass and someone had thrown a rock at it. She realized she was holding her teacup with such a grip it made her knuckles turn white. She tested it. Stone cold.

She tipped it away into a flowerpot just outside the window and sighed. She felt the tears well up in her eyes, but blinked to stop them.

"No, I'm not going to sit here and feel sorry for myself!" she muttered to no one in particular. "I've been doing that for the past month!" And she wasn't exaggerating. After running away from... him, she'd sat in her apartment gazing out into the endless rain for days, not daring to go outside, not daring to run into Sonic. She knew if she did, her heart would be ripped out, right there and then, and she would never get through this! Even now it ached to think that he could have ever loved her. It seemed so silly, so stupid.

"Stop it Amy!" She shouted out. A few people down below on the street looked up at her with curiosity. She blushed and slammed the window shut. "You've got to stop thinking about him, and stop feeling sorry for yourself! It's the nicest days in ages and no stupid mean old hedgehog is going to ruin this day for you! You need to take your mind off this." Easier said than done. She just needed time to think, somewhere she could be alone…

The beach! Amy recalled a particular secret spot she had found, just over some rocks. She'd discovered it that time her tails, Chris, Cream and Knuckles had gone out for the day. Of course, Sonic didn't show up, being too scared of water and all. Stupid water always ruined everything. The rain, the tears, the… stupid cold tea.

"Oh god, now I'm just talking crazy" she thought, and tried to force a smile on her face. "Well I guess it's to the beach." She turned to leave, but anyone could see her smile drop as she closed the door with a gentle thud behind her.

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**So there you have it. What did Sonic say? Why was he mad? Why did Amy run away? Keep reading as we go further into the past of these two hedgehogs.**

**The next chapter should be up shortly, but it won't be very long because it is in Sonics POV and I don't want to give anything away. ;) Also feedback would be wonderful.**

**~BananaSkins**


	3. Regret

**Yay, next chapter :D Hopefully they will get longer as the story progresses. But for now, here is the third part, in Sonic's POV. We find out how he feels as more of the story is uncovered. Enjoy and R&R!**

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**~Waters of Change~**

**Regret**

Amy…

"GAHHHHHHHH!" Sonic groaned as he punched yet another tree, letting out his anger. The pain in his arms and legs throbbed though his body. He'd been at it for hours. And yet no matter how many trees he punched, no matter how many rocks he kicked, Sonic couldn't get rid of the regret eating up his heart. Head spinning, he collapsed on the grass, and panted as his emerald eyes looked up at the sky. The gloomy grey clouds were finally starting to disintegrate, leaving only wisps of smoke coloured fog left.

The blue hedgehog sighed and closed his eyes, letting his mind wander as the grass tickled his skin. Why had he been so stupid? He'd just had a bad day, and Amy just happened to be there…..Amy… her face… full of hurt.

_"Amy leave me alone. I've never liked you more than a friend and now you're really pissing me off. Just leave me alone, I don't want to see your face!" Her tears welled up in her eyes as her lip quivered. The spiteful words kept slithering out of my mouth "Yeah that's right, just stand there and cry like you always do. Well I'm sick of it okay? I'm leaving!"_

And then Sonic just left her…

Left her to cry as he sped away…

Left her to sit on the park bench alone, as he sat at home watching TV…

Left her to grow cold as he turned up the heating…

Left her get soaked by the rain as he dried off at home with a fluffy towel…

Left her to sleep curled up on the bench as he snuggled into his own bed at home…

Left her to wait, hoping that Sonic would go looking for her, rescuing her once again…

But he didn't. He'd had enough. She'd proven herself that she can be tough, she could look after herself. At least, that's what Sonic kept telling himself…

He started from the vision as a blade of grass grazed across his face. That day was a blur. A newspaper headline, a hedgehpg found half starved and freezing to death on a park bench, muttering to herself, delusional with illness. Sonic had rushed to the hospital, thinking only one thing. "Amy… Amy please be okay." He'd sprinted up the stairs and down the corridor, only to find Cream standing in a doorway.

"Cream are you... is she….." his voice had trailed off as Sonic saw the sadness in her eyes.

"She isn't dead" she'd replied softy. "She's…. gone."

Yes, Amy Rose had checked out earlier that day, ignoring the warnings the doctors gave her. No one knows where she went, know one knows why. But Sonic knew. It's been over a month and she still hasn't turned up. All because of him…

"AAAAAMMYYY!" he cried out to the mountains, hoping she would answer, praying she would come running to him, that overjoyed look on her face. But the only response Sonic got was his echo, taunting her name back to him. He screamed out in frustration, and collapsed once again. There's no hope now. Even if she did come back, she would despise him like a wart on the bottom of her foot. How could she ever love him again? She'd ran away for that reason, he was sure of it. Because she hated him and never wanted to see his disgusting face again. And she had every right to.

But then why doesn't she just confront him? Her anger has always been fiery; she could have just beat Sonic up with her hammer. Why run? "That's my job." he thought regrettably. Why is she so difficult to understand?

"S…Sonic?"

Could it be? Of course not. Sonic saw the familiar fuzzy fox wander over, looking cautious.

"Hey are you okay, I heard shouting?"

He couldn't let him know. "Yeah, I'm fine, that's bud." Sonic forced out, giving him a feeble thumbs up. He sat down beside his blue friend, and they looked out to the mountains for a while.

"Sonic?" He broke the silence. "You know, it's okay if… you wanna talk about what happened… you seem kinda down."

"Tails I'm fine." he snapped back a little hastily.

"Okay… but if you wanna talk, I'm here."

He can't take it. All the sympathy, all the heart to hearts and hope. If they knew what he did… he doesn't deserve it! Can't they see everytime they bring it up another part of him dies?

"Tails, just shut up, okay? Amy's gone cuz of me! I said some horrible stuff, and I don't know why I said it, and none of it was true but I can't take it back. She's gone and it's all my fault. I'm stupid and spiteful and now she might be gone for good! I don't need you sympathy, I need you to understand!" Sonic paused for breath, and Tails looked up. In that instant, Sonic saw a swirl of emotions in his eyes. Hurt, confusion, anger, sadness, and still more sympathy!

"Sonic.." he began, but the hedgehog cut him off.

"JUST SHUT UP!" he screamed, his voice cracking ,threatening tears. He needed to get out of here!

So He ran. Tails called after him, but Sonic ignored him. He knew what Tails was going to say. Sonic's speed had decreased rapidly since Amy's disappearance, but that didn't stop him. He ran until his legs ached and his head throbbed. He ran until his shoes boiled on his feet and every step sliced off the heads of flowers. He ran until his heart felt as though it might explode, and as though his face was being hit by daggers of wind. But no matter how much Sonic ran, he couldn't shake off the feelings of regret…

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**So there you have it... We are now beginning to understand how Sonic feels and what exactly happened on that fateful day, yes? Hopefully the next chapter will be up soon. Until then!**


	4. Memory Beach

**Author's Note:**

**I know it's been a while since I last uploaded a chapter so here's a good one :P I'm having a french exchange partner round for a while so I won't get a chance to publish for about 2 weeks at least, but while I'm away in France I will type up a new chapter in my my notes on my i-pod so i can get it soon as soon as I get back. :) Hope you enjoy this next chapter.**

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~Waters of Change~  
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**Memory Beach**

_It was a beautiful day. Gulls were soaring overhead, casting giant shadows on the slick, smooth sand. Trees also cast their own silhouettes on the beach, providing the perfect amount of shade. The waves gently lapped against the shore, sucking more and more sand into the mysterious waters, but also giving some back. There were kids laughing and splashing through the waves, some on surf boards, some throwing balls._

_Amy smiled as she clambered over rocks worn smooth by the sea, but the smile was sad, bittersweet. Ever since the whole palaver with Eggman and that giant bird robot thing attacking a nearby school, everyone had decided they needed a break. It was Amy's idea to go the beach in the first place. Naturally Chris, Tails and Cream agreed to come along. Even Knuckles left the master emerald for the day to join them and soak up some rays. Mr. Tanaka, Chuck and Ella tagged along as well. They were a little ahead, already setting up a spot in the shade to relax in._

_Tails was helping Cream to build a sandcastle while she gathered wild flowers to make a garden for it. Chris was persuading Knuckles to get his butt off a chair and onto a surf board. Ella was organising the picnic, while Mr. Tanaka and Chris' grandpa attempted to set up the umbrella. Yes, everything was perfect, except…_

_Except Sonic wasn't there. Amy was so excited about the idea that she had rushed to tell him first. She could just imagine what it would be like. A picnic in the sun, chasing each other through the waves, snuggling in the sunset. She skipped along, through fields looking for him at his favourite spot; a small clearing overlooking a small mountain range. The sun radiating onto Amy's back, making her new outfit shimmer. She had chosen a sequin pink two-piece especially for Sonic to see. Sure enough, he was there, resting on a rock, snoozing in the sun._

"_Hey, Sooonic? You awake?!?" she shouted. He stirred and sat up, rubbing his eyes._

"_Not anymore" Amy heard him mumble. She felt bad but she was too excited to care._

"_Hey Sonic, we're all going down to the beach for the day, you wanna come?" She tried to sound casual but she felt herself blush as she spoke._

"_Nah, no thanks Amy, I'm happy enough spending my day relaxing here" he sighed, and without even looking at her swimsuit, laid back down on the rock, and soon began snoring again._

_Amy knew she shouldn't persist. He was too darn stubborn! She sadly dragged her feet back to Chris' house. Everything was already loaded._

"_Hurry up Amy, we're all waiting! Hey, where's Sonic?" asked Chris._

"_He… he couldn't make it." Amy said sadly, feeling her lip quaver as she tried not to cry._

"_Oh, well that's okay, I'm sure he's very busy." No one seemed to notice that Amy felt sad, except Cream._

"_Hey Amy, you okay?" She asked as she slid into the back of the car, next to me. Her eyes shined up at Amy worriedly._

"_I'm fine Cream, just a bit of a headache" she lied, not wanting to make Cream worry. Satisfied with Amy's answer, she turned to the front and began to sing along with the radio. Amy gazed out the window, averting her gaze from everyone, looking out at the trees zooming by at 'Sonic' speed._

_By the time they had gotten to the beach, Amy was moody and close to tears. So she lagged behind to catch up with her thoughts. It was nothing new for Sonic to not join in with the fun, but it still broke her heart every time. She kicked a couple of rocks about, and joined up with everyone else. No one seemed to notice how sad she was. Feeling a bit grumpy, Amy went off to explore. That's when she found the secret cove…_

It was still there, undisturbed, undiscovered for many months. Amy climbed through the narrow gap in between two large rocks, and the whole thing came into view. Although the day had clouded up a bit, the water still shimmered. But unlike that day at the beach half a year ago, the water had turned grey and murky. Seaweed littered the once smooth, bronze sand. Amy felt a tear slide down my face, but she told herself it was just the wind making her eyes dry. She clambered down from the rocky cliff, onto the squidgy grit.

"This beach… it's so different. As if it knows my mood." Amy thought to herself as she paced along the sand. The sunny day had rapidly disappeared, leaving wispy dark clouds overhead. She walked through the waves, the freezing water turning her toes purple with cold. Her thoughts began to wander. Amy had run away to stop her heart breaking, and yet she could already feel the cracks spreading out, leaving a delicate organ ready to shatter at the slightest touch. The rain started to fall, and Amy couldn't take it anymore.

She ran back the rocks, the wind and rain soaking her fur as sand flew up into Amy's eyes face, stinging her eyes. The rain was already coming down thick and fast, and she could barely see where she was going. Amy just wanted to get out of there. She tripped over shells and stubbed her toes as she sprinted to the rocks. Amy grabbed hold of the barnically, bulky grey mass, and began to climb. The rain made the rocks slick like oil, and she could feel her frozen hands loosing their grip. A flash of lighting startled her, and Amy felt that moment when everything went in slow-motion. Her hand slipped, and she reached out to thin air. Then Amy fell…

She wasn't that far up, but Amy felt the grating feel of her arm as it skidded down a rock, the barnacles attempting to hold onto her hands, like sandpaper. She landed face first in the sand, which cushioned her fall. She didn't have enough energy to get back up. The rain continued to pelt down like daggers as Amy inched along the floor, seeking blindly for shelter from the storm. She felt the rain ease up as she managed to find her way under an overhanging rock. Amy crawled all the way under, and adjusted to the light.

There was sun peaking through the clouds but it was rapidly vanishing. As darkness fell, she curled up into a ball on the sand. Grit covered every inch of her body, and she was soaked and chilled to the bone. Her dress was torn, one of her flip-flops was missing, there were bruises up and down her body and her arm was bleeding. But still she lay there on the cold, slimy sand, shivering. Her heart was pounding in her ears, a deep, steady beat that lulled Amy into unconsciousness…

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**Mwahaha cliff hanger ;) Hope you like the next chapter once it's out...**


	5. The Search

**Author's Note:**  
**So I'm back from France!!!! But sadly I'm going to WALES for another 4 days, however good news! I had a lot of free time in France so I continued writing chapters in my notes on my I-pod! So I have 4 or 5 new juicy chapters for you guys! I'll upload atleast 2 before I leave tomorrow and the others when I come back! They're all pretty short though :/ Anyway, please enjoy! **

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**~Waters of Change~**

**The Search**

He didn't know how long he had been running for. Trees, building, lakes and mountains blurred by as Sonic kept running. Tails was long gone, but still he ran. Maybe to get rid of the thoughts, or maybe to run from the memories. It wasn't until the sunset's fire died down that he realised he should go back. He shouldn't hurt his friends just because he was too cowardly to face his own memories. He still had the mobile Chris gave him. He dialed Tails' home number. He didn't pick up for ages, and Sonic almost hung up when Tails finally picked up.

"Hey Tails, look I'm sorry about earlier, but anyway I'm coming back now so... Tails, bud, you there?" Tails' reply was soften, and choked with worry and tears.

"Sonic, I... Rouge phoned. She's secretly been looking after Amy all this time. She promised she wouldn't tell us she was round hers but...... Amy's missing."

The rest Sonic didn't hear. Tails gabbled on about Amy leaving a note, about going out somewhere, but that was this morning, and she wasn't picking up.... Sonic didn't need to hear anymore. He dropped it and crushed it with his feet. "Oh god, Amy..." He sprinted off, his heart beating like a timer ticking, waiting to go off, ready to ring any second.

He looked everywhere he could think. He searched the mall, Rouge's house, the pier, everywhere. But no Amy. He was running out of ideas. Except... Amy's house. It was quiet and unkempt, not being lived in for a while. Sonic debated whether to bust the door down, but in the end settled for climbing through a window. He felt for a light, and found he was in her kitchen. It was very... Very 'Amy'. The walls were a pale yellow, and pink rose patterns decorated the skirting board. Various cooking books were laying about. One in particular was open to a certain page. "How to cook classic American Chilli dogs." Sonic smiled. "Shoulda known." but his smile was affectionate, not annoyed. Various pink sticky notes decorated the fridge. He gazed at a few. Some read things like "Get flour and eggs" others read "Call Cream" or "Mall at 3 on Friday with the girls." Sonic smiled again at the ordinariness of her.

He went to the living room next. Pink carpet, cream sofa with pink cushions, beige curtains. Nothing worth looking at. Ditto with the bathroom. A seaside themed one, with blue walls and bowls of dried up starfish. Her room, however, was a different story. Her bed, curtains etc were naturally pink. She had a mirror like the ones you find in a movie star's dressing room, and a pink beanbag. But it was the walls that caught Sonic's eye. There were pictures of him everywhere. Some where of him on his own, some with Tails or Knuckles, and a rare one of him with Amy.

But the most noticeable thing was that in all the pictures his face had been scribbled on, gauged out, or torn off the wall completely. Paper littered the floor. Glass shards twinkled in the moonlight, surrounding broken picture frames. Amy's diary lay crumpled in the corner, it's pink edges dented at the impact of hitting the wall. Sonic picked it up gently, and read the first entry.

_"Dear diary, Rouge got me this notebook for Christmas, so I might as well use it! Anyway, another year has passed and still no luck with Sonic!!! T_T grrrrr sometimes he makes me so mad, but most of the time I'm happy enough just thinking about him. But lately everytime I think of him, it just reminds me that I'm not with him! Why doesn't he like me?!? Am I really that annoying? Some days I just want to curl up and cry. He treats me like dirt but I love him more and more each day. If only... Anyway, as Rouge says: "There are plenty more gems for the taking." Too bad the only one I want is one of a kind... Yours, Amy Rose xxxx" _

Sonic flipped through more of the diary. Some entries were long and emotional and others were short and quirky. But all of them mentioned him. How he's breaking her heart, how brave he is etc. And with each one Sonic read, he felt worse and worse. He continued flicking through, skimming for any hints, but the diary ended the day she ran away. Sonic sighed and shut the diary, taking one last look around the room. Clearly Amy had just grabbed her belongings and left, well, after tearing up everything that reminded her of Sonic.

As he made his way to the door, something cracked beneath his feet. It was another broken picture frame, but the picture was still intact. Sonic glanced at it as he placed it on her bedside table. For once, he wasn't in it. It was of Amy herself, staring out at the ocean on a beach, looking deep in thought. Sonic remembered her nagging him constantly to go to the beach, but he always declined: where there was sand water was sure to follow. Then it hit him. There were shells, smoothed out rocks and other beachy things round her house that he never really noticed. It must be a really special place for her. She must be there. She has to be.

Sonic left her house in a flash, and was soon down at the waterfront. Water... He shivered, but not from fear. The nice day had turned into a massive storm. Rain pelted on him like darts, and he struggled not to loose his footing as he scrambled around rocks, slid over seaweed and gazed out at the waterfront. But still no sign. He combed the beach back and forth, searching the same places many times in the hope she would appear. "AMY!" he called out, but his voice was carried away by the wind and drowned by the water. The sea! Sonic could see a rocky island in the distance. A bulky figure stood out on it as the flashes of lighting lit up the landscape. He gulped. Those waves sure looked big, not to mention it was the middle of a storm. But he couldn't give up. Amy could be out there. He took a big breath of air, and ran forth into the inky blackness.

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**Good? Please review :D Hope you guys keep enjoying it and thanks for all the support!!**


	6. Tears and Rain

**Author's Note:  
Second and final chapter for the night. More to come in the weekend! Enjoy :)**

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**~Waters of Change~**

**Tears and Rain**

"Okay, start from the beginning Rouge." the yellow fox said as he brought in hot chocolate. Rouge sighed.

"I've told you all I know! Don't make me explain this ag..." Tails' front door slammed open suddenly to reveal a soaked echidna, his violet eyes wide with worry.

"I came as soon as I could. Any sign of her?" Tails should his head.

"I think Sonic's looking for her, but he hasn't contacted us yet." Knuckles grimaced.

"Sonic hasn't really been himself lately. He might do something stupid like..." He was cut off as Cream, who had been baking cookies for everyone, rushed in.

"Mr. Knuckles, your wrong!!! Sonic has just missed Amy so much, I'm sure he'll find her. He has to... He... Has...." she broke down into tears along with Cheese.

"Don't worry Cream, I'm sure Sonic is out there looking now. I bet he's close." he patted her on the back until she stopped crying. Rouge was close to tears as well. Knuckles noticed this, and sat down awkwardly next to her.

"Rouge, you don't have to explain if you don't want. Maybe you should go to sleep." "No, it's okay, I'll explain again."

"Well I don't really know what happened between her and Sonic . She just appeared at my front door one day, her stuff in a suitcase, asking if she could stay at my place for a bit. I said okay naturally, cuz she's my friend. I tried asking her what was wrong but she closed up and didn't tell me. So I left her to think. Some says she just stayed in bed all day, reading, or just looking out the window. Other days she just sat in front of the window, looking outside. She cried a lot and didn't eat much. I wanted to help, but she closed up her emotions and wouldn't let me in. All she did was make me promise not to tell you guys that she was staying with me."

Everyone was shocked. They couldn't imagine Amy like his. She was always so happy and carefree. Rouge continued.

"At some points I thought she might be getting better. She would go outside to the garden or take a walk. But she would always end up sad and mopey again. And she had nightmares... She kept waking me up in he night. I could hear her screaming Sonic's name from the other side of the house. She got really ill at one point, high fever, illusions, I almost called you guys. But after that... She seemed better. Well, not moping about as much, going out more. She still had the nightmares though. The thing is... She had changed completely. She was just an empty shell. She showed no emotion. She still cooked, but not with as much gusto. She never laughed or cried, her eyes never sparkled. She wasn't.... Amy."

Cream had retreated to the kitchen to finish baking the cookies, but also probably to hide her tears. Tails and Knuckles stayed to listen. Rouge sipped her hot chocolate as Knuckles asked

"So what happened... on the day she, disappeared."

"Well, the day seemed ordinary enough. I needed to go to the store for some food, so I told Amy and left. She seemed okay, she was sitting by the window drinking tea and listening to the radio. I wasn't gone that long, maybe 45 minutes. And when I got back she had left a note on the fridge. _"Gone out, will be back in a few."_ So I prepared lunch and waited. But she didn't show. Once the clock struck 4 I really started to panic. She'd been gone for 6 hours! I tried ringing but she didn't answer. I tried again and again, but still no answer and then it started raining and here was thunder and lighting and I panicked and rang Tails and then...."

Rouge broke off into a sob. Knuckles put an arm round her and she buried her face into his red fur and cried. "So then you came here" concluded Tails. "And I rang Sonic Knuckles, Cream and Chris. Him and his Grandpa are searching the northern part of Station Square. And I think the Chaotix are searching the western side. I don't know where Sonic is, but I'm sure he's searching everywhere he can think of." Suddenly, Tails' phone rang. It was Chris. "Any sign of her?" shouted Tails over the thunder. They heard Chris shout something back but it wasn't very clear. Tails' eyes grew wide, then he nodded. "Okay, we'll call if there's any more news." He listened for a while longer, then hung up. "Here's the deal. The storm's too dangerous for Chris and his grandpa to keep flying, they've already nearly hit 2 buildings and a tree. The Chaotix aren't having much luck either so they're going back to Chris'. They'll call if there's any more news. But also... They saw Sonic." Everyone gasped.

"Where" questioned Rouge.

"The Chaotix saw him whizz by them on the west side. They think he was heading towards the beach."

"The beach?! But why?" pondered Knuckles.

"Mr. Sonic hates water. He can't swim!" exclaimed Cream, bringing in the cookies

"I'm sure he knows what he's doing. But he's crazy staying out in this storm. It's too dangerous! He could..." Knuckles trailed off.

"Cream, I think it's time you went to sleep. There isn't much else we ca do now."

Tails and Cream went upstairs. Rouge hadn't spoken in a while. "Hey Rouge, you okay?" whispered Knuckles. She didn't reply. She was asleep, gently breathing on Knuckles'' chest. He turned redder than usual, but there was no one to see. He sighed, and looked to the window. The rain and wind slammed against the window, and the lighting penetrated the darkness as the thunder drummed a steady beat, getting louder and louder. The echidna's violet eyes searched for a sign, bit quickly gave up. He reached for a blanket on the arm of the sofa, and tucked it round Rouge. "Sonic , please, if you can hear me.... find her Sonic . Please, find Amy." Although exhausted, the echidna tried to stay up, his eyes staying alert, swapping from the window to the phone.

* * *

**Lol I just realised that the plotline is changing into a completely different story from the film. Probably cuz I've just kinda been improvising form the start :P But anyway thanks to everyone for the feedback!!!!!!! This WAS originally based off of a video I made. If you haven't already seen it can you please take your time to see it now? My username is Starrlett20 and the video is called "A Sonamy Story..." And please leave a comment if you have an account, because I would love to see your videos as well. ****I've had lots of positive feedback for it, so thanks to you all!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!**


	7. Dark Depths

**Author's Note:  
Yay back for good for the holidays!!!! I will upload a further two chapters hopefully by the end of this week, if not atleast one more!!! Unfortunately they're quite short :/ But I hope you guys enjoy!!!!!**

* * *

**~Waters of Change~**

**Dark Depths**

Sonic wasn't sure what was worse. Being completely submerged in the icy ocean with pressure crushing him from all around or being pelted with daggers of rain from above. Either way he was soaked. And he couldn't see... At all... He had lost sight of the beach long ago. The rocky island was looming ahead, but Sonic couldn't tell if he was getting closer or further away. A particularly large wave dunked him underwater, and he struggled to claw his way to the surface. For gods sake he could barely swim let alone fight off a hurricane!

He broke the surface and gasped for air, but was dunked under again and again. He lost sense of all direction, and could barely see the island in front of him because of the stinging chlorine. But he couldn't give up; for Amy's sake. The island gradually drew closer, and Sonic, more determined than ever, thrust his arms and legs forward like Chris had taught him. He was dunked under once more, and he felt the blood rush to his head and pound in his ears as he swivelled upside down. He lashed out, but was suddenly sucked to the side by a nasty current. The island was obviously closer than he thought. His back slammed into hard, coarse rock. His arm grated against the barnacles, and he screamed, but all that came out of his mouth were bubbles. He was losing oxygen, fast...

As his brain was starved of oxygen, his vision blurred. He thought back to the time Amy had almost drowned. Her arms were outstretched towards him as he dove. He was so close to her, his hand inches away. Her eyes slowly closed. "No!" he thought. With all his might Sonic grabbed hold of the rocky surface. Ignoring the intense pain of the cuts on his hands, he reached out, and scrambled up the rock, searching for handholds. At long last, he broke the surface! He clambered up the last of the rocks, and heaved himself onto the small island.

His body was ablaze with pain, but he crawled to the bundle. "Amy..." croaked his small, feeble voice. He reached a hand out and grasped... Seaweed! "Nooooooooooo!!!!" he shouted. He dug through the pile. Just a stupid seagull's nest. He screamed out to the storm, but it responded by throwing more rain at his already battered body. He collapsed, and began to sob. The brave hero, the faster than light, past cool hero, broke down. He had failed. Failed his friends, failed himself, failed Amy...

Tears slid down his face and burnt the cuts along his cheeks. His body was too weak to keep him gripped on the island. His feet slipped, his hands let go and he gave way to the storm. The ocean sucked him in. He let the water toss him about, and he thought of Amy. Of her radiant smile, her sparkling eyes, her bravery and kindness to put others before herself. What he would do, to see her again.... He felt the tug of the current pulling him towards land. He just wanted to be back on land. "Never again" he thought. "Will this hedgehog set foot in water as long as Amy's gone." His body was numb. Whether he was under or above the water he didn't know, or care.

He finally felt the soft grit brush against his toes. He crawled onto the beach. He was so tired. His muscles willed him on, to find shelter. He bit his tongue to keep himself conscious, and he willed his legs to push him off the ground. He gazed around. Even in the storm he knew this wasn't the same beach. It was different, a secret cove, maybe? A figure caught his eye. A lump of fur huddled under a jutting rock. Amy??? AMY!!!!!!

Sonic scrambled over the sand to Amy's side. She was in a bad way. Her fur was more grey than pink with damp and sand, she had a massive bruise on her head and she was soaked and freezing. Sonic huddled with her under the rock and held her close. He muzzled his nose into her fur. Seeing what state she was in, the fact that it was his fault, brought tears to his eyes, and made him feel all the more love for her. Her pulse was faint and erratic. She needed medical attention. But then, so did he. He felt close to faint, but pulled Amy tighter into a hug. He wrapped his arms round her, and felt a lump in her pocket. He reached in. A mobile! He prayed it wasn't damaged by water, and searched for Tails' number. He dialled. A very sleepy Tails picked up.

"Who *yawn* is it? Sonic, is that you?!" he suddenly became alert.

"Yeah it is. Look, I need an ambulance, possibly a helicopter, and a cup of coffee stat! Also I think I'm gonna pass out. And by the way, I've found Amy." Then he passed out with Amy in his arms, dropping Amy's phone, with Tails' concerned voice squeaking out, into the sand.

* * *

**Mwahaha cliffhanger! Thanks for the amazing people who favourite and review this fanfic, and those who continue to read it! And thanks for all the brill feedback on my video.**


	8. Plans

**Author's note:  
Second chapter this weekend :D I am in the middle of another one as well, which will be up by the end of the week. Hope you enjoy!**

**Also, I want to give a MASSIVE THANK YOU to everyone following this story. *Hugs everyone* I have gotten many positive reviews, and each one has made me feel so happy! I'm extemely thankful to everyone's support, especially since this is my first fanfic. I'm planning on starting a new story right after this one, so after this is finished there will be more!  
Once again, thank you!!!!!!**

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**~Waters of Change~**

**Plans**

The echidna had been lightly dozing when the phone rang. Rouge was still asleep so he couldn't get up. He heard the floor creak above him as Tails climbed out of bed. The ringing stopped, and he heard Tails muttering. The muttering became louder, and soon he could hear him shouting Sonic's name. Rouge mumbled in her sleep and hugged Knuckles tighter, who reddened, but patted her back reasuringly. "It's okay Rouge, they'll find Amy." He pricked his ear up to the sound of Cream muttering to Tails, and then the sound of them rushing downstairs. Knuckles looked at them questioningly as they burst into the room. Sweat and tears encased Tails' face, and Cream was pale, and quivering.  
"Sonic..." gasped Tails "Found... Amy......!"

_Tails woke to the sound of the phone. He tried ignoring it, but it kept ringing, insistently. 'Riiing RIIIIIIIING' Half asleep, he moaned, threw off the bedclothes and pattered towards the sound. He picked it up and listened. It was Sonic!  
"Sonic!" Are you okay!? Have you found Amy?? Sonic!?!"  
__The line went dead but Tails shouted continuously. "Sonic !! Sonic answer me!! Where are you?!? Soooooooniiiiic!!!!!" he shouted until he was breathless. No use. There was a bunch of static, then the line went dead. Cream appeared in the doorway, her eyes wide.  
"Mr. Ttttails?" he hugged her and told her everything.  
__"We need to wake Knuckles and Rouge."_

The pale rabbit stared at the raindrops cascading down the window.. she couldn't sleep. Tears filled her eyes, but they didn't fall. She was beginning to loose hope in the blue hedgehog. Her chao nuzzled her affectionately, to comfort her. She heard a phone ring in the distance, but she was in her own little world, daydreaming of back when everything was happy. When her and Amy made apple pies, or when Tails and her picked flowers in the meadow. When Rouge dressed her up in her fancy clothes, or when Knuckles allowed her to play with the chaos and Tikal. She especially missed the happy side of Sonic. Nothing was the same now. She heard shouting now, but paid little attention. That is, until it got louder and louder. It was Tails, screaming Sonic's name... Curiosity got the better of her, so she tiptoed out of the room, her bare feet chilled by the cold floor. She reached Tails room, and peered round the door, pale, like a ghost. Sweat encased his face and he looked up at her sparkling, questioning eyes. He gave her a tight hug, and all was explained.  
"We need to wake Knuckles and Rouge." she agreed, and took the fox's hand as he led her downstairs.

_The bat wasn't dreaming of anything in particular. Just drifting in blackness. She didn't know where she was, but it was warm and comfortable. She felt safe, and squeezed the warm thing harder. She sighed with contempt and began to relax. A vague noise made her rouse slightly, but she stayed clinging to the warm thing. She felt its chest rise and fall with a steady rhythm. She was on the verge of going back to sleep once more. It was safe there, no worries. She could almost picture the happy times with Amy once more...  
"Sonic... found... Amy...." The bat's aqua eyes opened._

Rouge immediately stood up, suddenly wide awake. "He found her!?! Where is he? How? Wha..?" Tails shushed her, and Knuckles took her hand and guided her back to sitting down.

"He, he didn't say where he was he just, well... passed out. All he said was that he found her, and then the line went dead. By the sound of things they must both be in a pretty bad state." Rouge choked back a sob. Knuckles gave her an awkward but tender hug.

"I'm sure we'll find them." he reassured her and Cream, who was shaking with fear, worry and cold, clinging to Tails' arm. "Is there anything we can do Tails?" Knuckles asked.

"Well, I think I can track down the phone call, but I'll need Chuck's help. I could call him."

"Okay, and meanwhile I'll call an ambulance."

"But" added Rouge "It's too dangerous to search yet. Wait until the storm clears up a bit."

"Okay" agreed Tails. He went to find a phone while Knuckles eased himself away from Rouge to dial on his mobile.

"But hurry" said Cream worriedly. "Sonic and Amy are still out there…" Rouge beckoned Cream over to her side.

"Don't worry Cream, they'll be found... they have to be." And so the bat comforted the rabbit and chao as they sat in tense silence, waiting for Knuckles and Tails to return with news.

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**Sorry for the uber shortness of the last chapter and this one btw, but hopefully after the next chapter (which is also short, sorry again!) the chapters will grow in length. Next part will be up soon! Until then.  
****Also, quick question: Should I do a chapter or two in Chris', Chuck's, the Chaotix's etc, point of view? If you post a review, then just a small mention would be nice :)  
**

**P.S. If you can't wait then check out my youtube account. Videos using Sonic and Avatar( The Last Airbender) are uploaded lots. To find it, click on the link on my fanfic page, or look for Starrlett20's channel.**


	9. Conscience

**Author's Note:  
Guys, I am so sorry!!!!!!!!!!!!!! This is a pathetic chapter, it doesn't even deserve to be uploaded, in fact, don't even call it a chapter, call**** it a minor interlude!!!!!!!! I've been uber uuuuuber busy lately, and I didn't upload a chapter on the weekend like I promised!!! I'm so sorry!!!!!!! But I have a 3 day weekend!!!!! *cheers* so hopefully I will get a nice juicy chapter up :/ But seriously, I feel so bad! Anyway, try to enjoy it! It's not much, just a kinda POV thing...**

* * *

**~Waters of Change~**

**Conscience**

As the rain continuously splattered against the rock face, spraying both hedgehogs with a fine mist, Sonic came to. His back was sore, his head hurt and he was freezing and wet, not to mention covered in sand. Usually he could tell himself that he'd been through worse, that this wasn't that bad, that he'd get through it, just put on a smile and fight.... but there was nothing worse to think of now. He felt like hell. For a second he didn't know where he was. Then he heard a hedgehog sigh and hug tighter around his waist. Amy. Sonic sighed. It didn't look like they wouldn't be rescued for a long time. He shifted his weight to get in a more comfortable position, curled up once more with Amy and went back to sleep.

_She was running through a forest, chasing after the blue blur in front of her. Branches lashed out at her as she dashed by the trees, clapping her legs, tugging her further and further away. No matter how fast she ran the blue hedgehog always seemed further away. Usually she would reach out, almost touch him, until she tripped and woke up. But not this time. Amy put the brakes on. Something inside her snapped. No more chasing blue streaks. She was done with that. It only caused her more pain. She couldn't love him and keep her heart whole. The pain he had caused, would cause her, would be too much, unless she stopped loving him... So the pink hedgehog turned, and walked the other way, and within that moment, her heart froze over, leaving a cold, hurt, wounded heart left. She smiled and dreamt a dreamless sleep..._

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**I told you it was short! This is unacceptable! I will understand if you're angry, but I PROMISE I will try harder to write longer chapters! A BananaSkin promise!**

**Anyway, what will happen next? *evil laugh...***


	10. Meanwhile

**Author's Note:  
Yay finally, another chappie! :D Sorry for the long wait, but I've got french, drama, maths AND science exams this and next month, so I'm doing a lot of revising! :L But anyway here is a relatively 'juicy' chapter for you all! I enjoyed writing this a lot, especially since I haven't had a chance for a while... But anyway read on and enjoy!**

* * *

**~Waters of Change~**

**Meanwhile…**

Espio was getting frustrated. How could he meditate with all this noise!? Vector and Charmy were arguing about whether they should go and look for Sonic and Amy now.

"They need our help! We can't just leave them!!" whined Charmy.

"Well it's too dangerous out there! We could risk our necks trying to save their scrawny ones" Vector snapped back (excuse the pun). He still hadn't forgiven Sonic over the bet over which baseball team would win the finals. He'd never see that twenty dollars again!

Meanwhile Chris was handing his grandpa stuff as he barked instructions at him.

"Pass me the screwdriver! No not that one, the one with the red handle! The small one with the red handle! No! The small one with the red handle with white writing on it!" Chuck was getting anxious. He knew that the storm out there was brutal. He wasn't sure how long someone could survive out there without shelter. He was working as fast as he could.

Chris was equally worried. He didn't mind his grandpa shouting; he knew he was stressed. He dug into the toolbox for the small red screwdriver with the white handwriting and passed it to his grandpa. He knew Sonic was tough, but with a storm that brutal, how long would he last? His thoughts were interrupted.

"Chris! Hammer please! No, the one with the wooden handle!!" He sighed.

Espio winced at the sound of the tools crashing into each other as Chris searched for a hammer. Realising he'd get no peace and quiet, he got up and slowly made his way to the kitchen. Ella was hard at work making chocolate chip cookies for everyone. She knew hard work made you hungry. Espio grimaced at the sound of the electric beater being switched on, and continued through to the bathroom. Stupid noise. Stupid Sonic for getting himself into this mess. He splashed some water onto his face to clear his head. No meditating was making him dizzy. Normally he would do it outside, but… Glancing at the bathroom window, he realised that wasn't going to happen. Then, he thought he caught a flash of movement. Was something out there... watching him? Even his sharp senses couldn't detect whether it was just a tree waving about or something else. He decided on the latter, and made his way back to the living room.

Vector and Charmy were still arguing and Chuck was furiously working. Mr. Tanaka walked in, along with Ella, bearing a tray of fresh cookies. Everyone, even Vector and Charmy, stopped what they were doing to take a bite. Mr. Tanaka handed round mugs of cocoa. Chuck mopped sweat off his forehead and drank, while Chris sat on a chair. Charmy and Vector looked awkwardly at each other, then sat down next to each other on the sofa, done fighting for now. Ella returned to the kitchen with Mr. Tanaka while Chris and his grandpa muttered about something to do with complicated electronics. Charmy munched on cookies while Vector sat, twiddling his thumbs, waiting for something to happen. Finally everyone was quiet thought Espio to himself. He pressed his fingers to his temple, and sat, cross-legged, on the floor. He was just starting ot drift into his own little world when suddenly…

"I've done it!!" shouted Chuck triumphantly. He held up something that resembled a large blue mobile phone, except it had twice as many buttons, a radar screen and a little satellite on the top.

"Pretty impressive" thumbed up Vector.

"Yeah, impressive" mumbled Espio, trying not to loose his temper.

"What does it do?" asked Charmy, flying over to examine it.

"Well, it's kinda like a phone tracker." explained Chris. "We can trace Sonic's call by entering the phone number and area, and then the screen will tell us his coordinates. Then we can find them!"

"We should call Tails and the others to let them know." added Chuck. Chris picked up the phone from the table, and dialled. It rang twice, then Tails voice broke the droning electronic beep. A faint 'Hello?' could be heard. Chris jabbered to him for a bit, letting him know they had finished the tracker. He listened a bit more, responded with an 'Uh-huh' then finished with "Okay, see you then." He put the phone down and turned to the others.

"While we've been working Tail has weather-proofed the X-Tornado. It should be able to withstand pretty intense weather now. He and Knuckles are gonna head over here now. I'm gonna go with them to find Sonic."

"Hey, what about us?!" said Charmy grouchily. "What are we gonna do?"

"Well you guys can help me organise everything else." replied Chuck. "We're gonna need to contact the hospital I'm sure we'll need Sonic and Amy checked for pneumonia and other things. Then, once they're safe, and when the weather's died down, we can all go, Rouge and Cream included, to see them in hospital."

"Fine by me." replied Espio. With less people he should be able to get a few ours of meditation done. There was the faint sound of an engine.

"That'll be Tails and Knuckles." said Chris. "I'm gonna go now."

"Make sure you put on a raincoat." shouted Ella from the kitchen. Chris smiled at Ella's mother like ways. He slipped on his yellow mac, although he doubted it would do much against the rain. He waved goodbye, then heaved open the door. The X-Tornado was parked outside the house. He scrambled up the side as Tails opened up the roof a fraction, enough to let him in but keep most of the rain out. Chris noticed it had a new paint job.

"Water-proof coating" he explained as Chris buckled his seatbelt.

"Have you got the tracker?" asked Knuckles. Chris nodded and handed it to his outstretched white gloved hand. Knuckles typed in Sonic's number, and a little white dot popped up on the screen. He shouted out some coordinates to Tails, barely heard over the sound of the rain pelting against the glass window.

"Okay guys, let's go find our friends." said Tails determinedly. The fired up the engines, and the X-Tornado blasted into the sky, heading towards the coast.

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**You like? I hope so! Mwahaha I love torturing Espio :3  
Hopefully a new chapter will be up soon, but I can't guarantee cuz of all the BLOODY REVISING! X( But I hoped you guys like this :)**


	11. Lost Souls Found

****

Author's Note:  
Yay, new chappie, just for you guys! I'm gonna try and keep uploading through my revising, but expect them less frequently :P Anyways, read on...

* * *

~Waters of Change~

**Lost Souls Found**

Was it just him, or could Sonic hear… an engine?

He had lost track of the time. He woke maybe a couple of hours ago, maybe only minutes. Unable to get back to sleep, he listened to the sounds around him. The steady beat of the rain, the whistling of the wind creeping between rocks, the waves lapping up violently against the shore. He occasionally looked back at Amy, and felt her pulse. It was weak and getting fainter by the minute. He wasn't sure how much longer she could survive. She was chilled to the bone, and no matter how close Sonic held her, her body temperature didn't rise. He thought he hear her mumble in her sleep, but the storm was too loud to make out anything she said.

His legs were cramped from her weight, his head and back bruised from leaning against the jagged cliff face for so long, the salt water making his mouth dry. He felt awful. He wasn't sure ho much longer he could survive either. His shiny red running shoes were now stained and tattered by the sharp barnacles, and his blue fur was a murky grey with sand and water. No matter how much he shifter his weight, he couldn't get comfortable. He though he was close to unconsciousness once more, when the gentle thrumming started.

He thought he was imagining it from fatigue, but it got closer and louder, until it felt right on top of him. It sounded familiar somehow, but the noise was distorted by the wind. Then a bulky figure landed on the beach in front of him, spraying sand everywhere. Claws latched and dug into the sand to prevent the machine being blown away by the immense winds. Then, though the rain, Sonic recognised the silhouette. The X Tornado!

"Tails!" he shouted, but his throat grated like iron. It was too dry. However, the roof to the X Tornado opened, revealing his three friends. Tails spotted him at once, even through the wind and rain.

"It's Sonic!" he shouted. Chris checked thee bulky tracker he held, and nodded. Knuckles jumped swiftly out of the ship, but was knocked off his feet by the wind. He held a gloved hand over his face to protect it from the sand, and sprinted over to join Sonic and Amy.

"Sonic we thought we'd… oh my god!" he noticed Amy.

"I know! Look, you need to get Amy to a hospital. She's really cold, and she hasn't woken up, and I don't know if!" he began to panic, but was cut short.

"Sonic, chill! It'll be okay. We need to get you too aboard. Tails made some adjustments so there's extra seating. You oaky to walk while I carry Amy?" he asked worriedly. Sonic nodded. Knuckles gently prised Amy off Sonic's lap and cupped her in his arms, shielding her from the worst of the storm with his back as he inched his was back to the X Tornado. Sonic felt the rush of blood head back to his toes in pins and needles as he stood up. He took three steps, then fell over, completely exhausted.

Knuckles looked back ,and saw his friend collapsed on the ground. "Hey guys, I could use some help here!" he shouted to Chris and Tails. Tails carefully climbed down from the ship, and made his way over to Sonic.

"You okay?" he asked worriedly, as he helped Sonic to his knees. He felt sick to his stomach at the state of his best friend, and it brought tears to his eyes. Or maybe it was just the salt, he told himself. Sonic forced a grin on his face, and gave him the thumbs up sign.

"I'm hangin' in there buddy, you mind giving me a hand?" Tails took Sonic's arm and wrapped it over his shoulder, then stood up. With Sonic using him as support, they inched their way back to the X-Tornado. Knuckles was hanging Amy to Chris, who layer her across 2 seats, and wrapped a blanket round her he had stored beneath.

"She's really cold!" He shouted to the others. "We need to get to a hospital, and fast!" Tails could see the rain escaping into the ship, so he hurried Sonic along. With a helping hand from Knuckle, Sonic made it inside, in the warmth. He collapsed onto the seat next to Amy, and put a hand to her forehead. Cold and clammy.

"Step on it!" He ordered. Chris closed the roof, and Tails fired up the engines once more. There was the sensation of flight, then they began the ascent back into the skies. Sonic pressed his face against the window, hi eyes almost shutting with exhaustion and weakness, but before that, he gazed down at he inky blob of a beach, thankful and praying to never go back to that hell again. Then his head slid slightly down the window, and he once again, collapsed. Tails looked back worriedly.

"You sure they'll be okay?" he asked Knuckles. Knuckles' face was hard and determined.

"They'll pull through, they're tough." Chris and Tails smiled weakly with relieve, and continued to fly the vessel. However, once busy again, Knuckles turned his back from them, and glanced back at his friends. Worry and grief escaped from the hard strong cracks in his face, and he began to question whether there was hope for them.

* * *

**By the way if you think this is nearing the end you're wrong! there's still quite a few more chapters to come!**


	12. Awakening

**Author's Note:  
New chapter :D I just want to say a big thank you to Gladius Infractus for correcting me on a few things :3 I'll hopefully proof-read my stories more often now! Anyways, read on...

* * *

**

**~Waters of Change~  
Awakening**

For the next several hours, Sonic drifted in and out of consciousness. He never opened his eyes, but he could hear movement around him; the familiar voices of his friends concerned voices around him, the scribble of doctors pens taking down notes, the steady beat of the heart rate monitor. Was it just him, or was it slow? Too slow…. very, veeery slow……

Then he was back unconscious, in a dreamless sleep. Then back to the hospital noises, more beeping and whispering, more sleeping, more beeping more sleeping more beeping. It seemed never-ending.

Doctors rushed by, occasionally stopping to check on his status, glancing at his heart beat, blood pressure etc. His friends came and went. His distant friends sent cards or phone calls to the hospital reception, his closer friends sent food or called in briefly, and his close friends never left the hospital.f

Sonic first awoke and found Tails by his side. His eyes blurred into focus, the bright, stingy hospital light searing into his eyes. He squinted and saw the vague shape of that familiar yellow fox. He was looking away, gazing into the distance with thought, a worried look upon his face. Sonic attempted to sit up, but was restrained from the lack of energy and amount of tubes connected to him. Tails' ears pricked at the sound of Sonic's sheets rustling, and his head turned. His eyes lit up when he saw his friend was awake.

"Sonic!" he exclaimed. "You're awake! How are ya feeling?" Sonic lifted a shaky hand and slowly formed his fingers into a 'thumbs up'.

"Never better." he joked. His hand dropped limply by his side, weight down by tubes. "What do I need these for?" He gently gestured to the needles, tubes and pumps. His mouth was dry and tasted like sandpaper.

"Well…" began Tails. "You were extremely cold when you were brought in. The doctors had to pump some of your blood out and warm it up through a machine before pumping it back in. A lot of these needles are to see your blood status. You're pretty much stable now. Oh yeah, and some of them are painkillers. You got pretty beaten up on the rocks. They were afraid of infection for a while, but after cleaning and dressing them, they think you'll turn out okay."

"How bad is the damage?" asked Sonic, softly. He gingerly pulled back the covers. His eyes widened in shock. Several cuts and bruises lined his legs, and bandages covered some of his back, wrapping round his stomach so they didn't uncurl and fall off.

"It's better than it looks." Tails reassured Sonic. He wasn't quite sure what Sonic was thinking.

Neither did Sonic to be honest. Sure he'd taken many beatings from Eggman, but nothing as serious as this. He'd never faced serious health threats before. He'd gone about thinking he was some unstoppable creature, carefree. He realised now how vulnerable he really was.

"So…" said Sonic, trying to keep his voice from quivering. "When can I get outta this place?"

"Shhh, Sonic!" shushed Tails. "I know you don't like being cooped up for so long, but" he glanced around. "The doctors have been really helpful, both with you and Amy. I know you want to stretch your legs but…"

"Amy?" interrupted Sonic. "Where's Amy, how's she doing?"

"Well…" Tails reluctantly continued. "She's been in the A&E for a while. The doctors spent ages warming her up before they could do anything. She's still, well, in a critical condition. They're feeding her antibiotics and keeping her warm, but she could easily catch an infection. She's in a clean room right now, and the doctors aren't sure if…" he trailed off. "She's critical but stable" decided Tails. Sonic didn't like the sound of that.

"I want to see her." he announced, and tried to untangle himself from the tubes and needles. Tails gasped and tried to stop him, but Sonic was determined.

"Sonic stop, you need these in you. Please Sonic, SONIC!" He gave a final cry before tugging his hands away. Sonic looked up and saw sadness, fear, and worry in Tails eyes. It made him stop. "If you really wanna see Amy, you're gonna have to bring up your energy. AND you'll have to take these with you." He gestured to the maze of wires. "I'm sure it's lunchtime soon." Right on cue, a nurse walked in.

She was quite round, but jolly and cheerful. Her mood seemed to lift up the atmosphere and tension in the room. "Ahh, so our little blue patient's awake, is he?" She asked, and smiled at Sonic. He didn't appreciate being called little, but forced a weak smile. "You hungry?" A nod. "Okay, so we have lots of things on the menu, sandwiches, soup, maybe some salad?" She listed as she plugged back in some wires Sonic had previously taken out.

"Chilli dogs." said Sonic.

"I'm sorry?" asked the nurse, stopping and looking up.

"I want some chilli dogs. Extra hot sauce, in a white bun." he said grouchily. The nurse looked flustered, but didn't argue. She forced a smile.

"Coming right up sir." and then walked out of the room, her heels going 'click clack' along the linoleum floor. Sonic turned back towards Tails and found him smiling.

"What?"

Tails smiled sheepishly, and replied. "You're still the same old Sonic." Sonic was the joke, and grinned back, a large toothy one. "Well I could seriously kill for a chilli dog."

"Oh, I almost forgot, Knuckles, Rouge Cream, Chris, Chuck and the Chaotix are all in the waiting room, ready to see you. You want me to send them up?" Sonic grimaced. As much as he loved Cream's cute embraces and Knuckles hot-headedness with Rouge, he wanted something in his stomach before being greeted.

"Maybe after lunch."

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**Well, it's slightly longer than previous chapters, isn't it? I'm working on the next installment now, it should be up soonish. Remeber to R&R!**

~Waters of Change~


	13. Secrets

**Author's Note:  
Another chapter up. Thanks to you all who follow my story 3 I don't know what I'm gonna do after this one. I have a few ideas, but I don't know which to do. The choices are:  
_What if Maria...? _**_A what if story. Probably chapters. The plotline if basically Shadow looking back and seeing what would happen if Maria survived  
__**Getting to know your enemy **Amy and eggman story (not a couple!) Amy is captured but somehow gets talking with Eggman, and we begin to understand more about him. Oneshot.  
_**Sonic's End **Sonic's death! When he dies he ends up inside the chaos emerald, and together he and Tikal look at life without him. Possibly oneshot, but maybe split into a couple of chapters.  
**Chris' Return **We all want to know what happened to Chris after he was supposedly teleported back home by Eggman. Oneshot.

**So what do you guys think? Leave your prefered story/ies in a review :)  
**  
**Anyways, on with the story...**

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****

~Waters of Change~

**Secrets**

After inhaling his chilli dogs brought to him after a lot of fuss made by the kitchen, Sonic was ready to see his friends. The doctors didn't allow them all in at once, so they came in groups; the Chaotix first.

Vector stomped in, followed closely by a flying Charmy and a sly Espio. Sonic gave a smile as they gathered round. At least Sonic got his own private room, so they had some peace. "So…" began Sonic. "I heard you guys were out lookin' for me in that storm."

"Well… yeah we were." grinned Vector sheepishly.

"Well thanks. Not many people would have the guts to go out in that monster" thumbed up Sonic. "It was a pretty brave thing to do."

Vector rubbed his neck "Well…. yeah, we were pretty amazing, weren't we guys?" he prompted Espio and Charmy.

"What are you talking about, you kept wining about the rain washing all the wax off your scales" grinned Espio.

"Yeah well, that was…. anyway Sonic, how ya feeling?" Sonic was unfazed by their ability to show a lack of concern. The Chaotix were like that. Besides, they know how to lighten up a party.

"A little sore, but I think I'll recover after a few runs in some wide open spaces."

"Hey, what does this do?" asked Charmy, poking some important medical instrument. Espio sighed.

"We'll leave you to it Sonic." he nodded. They left, with Charmy jabbering various questions at the larger of the three. Sonic chuckled to himself. They meant well, really, they were just a bit too wrapped up in their detective cases. They weren't the type for mushy, sentimental stuff, and neither was Sonic to be honest. Still, they did go out to find him, which was something.

Next in line were Cream, Cheese and Rouge. Cream entered first, cautiously, followed by a less-chirpy-than-usual Cheese, and Rouge, ushering them along. Her blue eyes seemed a bit duller than usual, and she had big dark bags under them, but other than that she seemed fine. Cream crept towards Sonic's bed, holding a bunch of flowers.

"Mr. Sonic… how are you?" she asked carefully. Sonic grinned at her.

"Never better Cream. Hey, are those flowers for me?" he gestured towards the bunch. Cream nodded.

"Cheese and I got them from a vase at Chris' house. Ella said we could bring them." she shoved them into his face, urging him to take them. The sickly sweet smell filled Sonic's nose, but he took the flowers and placed them next to him.

"Thanks Cream." he said, and ruffled her ears.

"Chao chao!" snapped Cheese. Sonic patted him as well. Cream and Cheese said goodbye, and skipped out the door.

Rouge still hadn't spoken. Sonic didn't really know why she was here. She should be with Amy, wherever she was. He wasn't the closest of friends with Rouge, in fact, to be honest, she annoyed him a bit. His thoughts were interrupted.

"Sonic?..." said Rouge, softly. Sonic turned his head as a sign of him listening. Rouge took a step closer, her lip quivering. Was she?... no, thought Sonic. She couldn't be crying. And although it was true that no tears feel from her face, Rouge's eyes watered up and glistened with moisture. "Sonic I… I'm so sorry."

Sonic couldn't believe it. Here was Rogue, Rouge! Rouge the bat, apologizing! And he didn't even know what for! "For what?" he asked, speaking his thoughts out loud.

"For… for lying to you guys. For keeping Amy from you. I just… she was hurt Sonic, and I didn't know what to do. I just took her in like a friend I guess, but now all this has happened and…." she swallowed back her tears, but they started cascading down her cheeks. Sonic was gobsmacked. How could Rouge be crying? She never cried! She wasn't the loud type like Amy or the kind like Cream who just made a load of noise, her tears just silently fell, and her voice shook.

"It wasn't your fault." Sonic found himself saying. "You did what was right… I was the one who messed things up." Rouge looked up through her tears.

"Yeh, Sonic. I don't know what happened between you and Amy but, she's hurt… badly. You need to patch things up."

"I will." assured Sonic. Rouge smiled and wiped her eyes.

"Good." she turned to leave, but stopped. "Oh, and Sonic?"

"Yes Rouge?"

"Don't tell ole' Knucklehead I cried, okay?" Sonic smiled.

"Don't worry; I'll keep it a secret." He nodded, and she left as well.

After a short visit from Ella, Chuck and Chris, who proudly showed Sonic the phone tracker he and his grandpa made, there was one person remaining: Knuckles. He stomped in, a bit cranky to be the last one to see Sonic, but lightened up when he was that his friend seemed happy and, besides the scratches, healthy.

"Yo, Sonic." he greeted, and he and Sonic 'respected' each other.

"Hey Knux. So…" he brought his voice down to a mumble. "How's it been out there?"

Knuckles closed his eyes and groaned. "Don't ask. It's hectic. I never liked hospitals. Too much movement, not enough space. Not to mention everyone bawling their eyes out. I told 'em you'd be fine. Just a couple of scratches. At least you got better off than Amy…" he stopped. Sonic's eyes widened.

"Amy…. AMY? Whaaaa- how is she? What do you mean better off?"

"Sonic calm down!" Knuckles forced him to lay back down.

"I want to see Amy!" he demanded, trying to sit back up. Knuckles looked a bit sheepish.

"Well, I don't think that's-"

"Now!" Sonic shouted, becoming increasingly worried. There was something they weren't telling him. It was his fault they were all in this mess, he had a right to know!

"Sonic, well, the thing is…" Oh god, not that.

Something occurred to Sonic. The tears form Rouge, the meekness of everyone, the overly cheerful doctors, Knuckles closing up… it could only mean one thing. The one thing Sonic didn't want to hear. He knew what Knuckles was going to say…

"The thing is… Amy's dead."

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**Duh, duh duuuuuuh! Writing next chapter now, hopefully up soonish :D Until then...**


	14. Critical

**Author's Note:  
M-kay guys this probably has lots of mistakes etc in it, but I will fix those when I get back. Reason being I am going away to drizzly old Wales for a week. I wanted to finish this and post it quickly so I could let you know :) Anyway sorry for leaving you people on a cliffhanger ;) But yeah, I hope this nice, long, juicy chapter makes up for it :D I think it's my longest yet! Anyway, I'll ease your anticipation. Read on ...

* * *

**

~Waters of Change~

**Critical**

_Something occurred to Sonic. The tears from Rouge, the meekness of everyone, the overly cheerful doctors, Knuckles closing up… it could only mean one thing. The one thing Sonic didn't want to hear. He knew what Knuckles was going to say…_

"_The thing is… Amy's dead."_

That was what Sonic expected to hear. But instead, Knuckles' lips formed around the words "She's in a critical state."

Relief washed over Sonic, but only for a second, before he broke out into a cold sweat of worry. Critical. It reminded him of the pulsing red lights that went off whenever he infiltrated one of Eggman's numerous bases. It was still bad. In some was, worse. Amy was still out there, suffering. He had made up his mind.

"I want to go see her." he stated.

"Erm, Sonic, I'm really don't think-"

"I want to see her NOW!" Sonic shouted. His emerald eyes blazed with determination. Knuckles knew there was no backing out now. He sighed.

"Okay, okay. But it ain't gonna be pretty." he grimaced. After a discussion with the doctor's they managed to hook Sonic up to a wheelie thing so it could support the wires he still needed. They were ready to go.

Sonic made his way down the cheap, brightly lit corridor with Knuckles, the echidna leading the way. The lights hurt Sonic's eyes, and the narrowness of everything made him feel enclosed. He acted braver than he felt, but I carried on walking. He had to see Amy. He wanted to see her as soon as he could, but his heavy legs and medical equipment dragging behind him prevented him. He hated how slow and… old he felt.

Soon, they reached the other side of the hospital. It was very quiet here compared to the reset of the building. A sign was on the wall ahead, stating

"Clean Room

NO ENTRY except for medical staff, or with permission

Sterile clothing must be worn at all times"

Sonic gulped. A clean room. That was where they put really ill patients, so they didn't get more ill. He was liking this less and less, but he had to see Amy… the damage he had caused. Knuckles approached a doctor nearby, and after a few small arguments, they were allowed to see Amy.

"It ain't gonna be pretty" warned Knuckles. Sonic said nothing.

There were shutters over the windows so they couldn't see in. Sonic and Knuckles entered a small room contected to the clean room, and both put on the jackets and gloves in there, before being sterilised. Finally, it was time to go in.

"You ready?" asked Knuckles through the mask. Sonic nodded, unable to speak. Knuckles reached out a gloved hand, and slid open the door.

Sonic heard Amy before he saw her. Or rather, he heard the metallic beep of the heart monitor. It seemed slow… too slow. And then there she was, lying carefully between the covers. She seemed to have a gazillion and one wires attached to her, all plugged into numerous machines. Her eyes were closed, but her lids flickered, as though she was lightly dreaming. Her face was full of worry, hurt, and coldness. Now she was in the light, Sonic could see just how badly she was hurt. Grazes and cuts, some just bruises and scrapes, some long, deep ones, covered her body. They were all clearly visible through her matted, grey fur. She looked so… weak…. and cold and hurt and…

Many emotions rushed though Sonic's mind. First fear, for her life and if she was going to survive. Then guilt, because it was his fault she got into this mess. Then anger.

Anger towards her, for being so stupid. Then anger towards his friends, especially Rouge, for not looking after her. Then anger to himself.

"I was so stupid." he thought. "How could I have let this happen? This whole time I've been… prancing about as though I was indestructible. As though I would always be there to protect my friends, as though if I was there, me, the hero, then everything would be fine. But I've just made things worse…. that's all I seem to do nowadays. I just tear apart everything around me… everyone's lives… all gone… because of me."

An anger hot as molten rock started to form deep within him. "I just ruin everything… and nobody cares about me really, they just want me to protect them… I'm nobody's friend, especially after this…" Sonic suddenly collapsed to the floor, on hi hands and knees.

"Whoa, hey Sonic buddy, you okay?" asked Knuckles with concern, kneeling down beside him. The hedgehog began to shake, the anger erupting inside him. All of his… it was just a lie. Just pretend… His fur began to darken, and bluish, blackish smoke clouded up the helmet.

"Sonic?" asked Knuckles, with growing concern. He thought he heard a faint… cackle, froffm inside Sonic's helmet. Then, Sonic stood up, still shaking. Then silence.

"Sonic, cut it out." demanded Knuckles, sounding braver than he felt. Then Sonic ripped open his suit, and yelled out. Knuckles was thrown back into a machine, and he gasped in surprise. Sonic had changed into a swirl of black and blue smoke vaguely in the form of a hedgehog. His eyes were white and pierced through the darkness, staring with anger at Knuckles.

"You don't have to lie to me… all this false concern… it's not working." his voice was deep and echoed around the small room. Doctors began to gather around in the small side chamber, and started to put on sterile clothes.

"All of this is my fault, don't you see! I don't even deserve to be your friend. I know what you're all thinking. And why not? I'M A MOSNTER!" he lashed out and knocked over another machine.

The doctors were franticly trying to open the door, but Sonic blew up the control panel with the wave of his hand. "Now I realise" he continued. "Now I know what I am and why I shouldn't exist." he began to advance towards Knuckles, who was still trying to catch his breath on the cold tiled floor. The doctors pounded franticly on the door, machines bleeped like mad.

"You're all saying this isn't my fault, but you can't stop those evil thoughts of guilt ripping apart my mind!" he screamed. "They burn like molten lava flowing through every nerve in my brain! I CAN'T ESCAPE IT!" he lashed out at Knuckles, the Dark Sonic taking over. Knuckles ducked, and rolled under Sonic's giant claw as it lashed out. He made for the window in an attempt to smash it, but Dark Sonic was on top of him like a shot. He lashed out again, this time with smoke trailing from his hand. It pinned Knuckles up against the wall, grasping him around the neck. Knuckles choked in surprise.

"Sonic don't… don't do this!" he forced out. Sonic only grinned, and tightened his grip.

Then, tough the screams, and the roaring in his ears, Sonic heard a noise. A single bleep, then a long, loud one, drowning out everything else. Amy's heart rate monitor. He stopped, and slowly turned. In the fight, he had knocked loose most of Amy's wires. The things keeping her alive. He gasped, and fell to his knees, letting go of his friend. The echidna landed on his feet, and rubbed his neck. Then he stopped when he too, heard the beep. Everyone was silent, the doctors, Sonic, Knuckles, everything. Then havoc started.

Knuckles ran to the door and smashed it open with his fist. The doctors came running in, forgetting about keeping sterile. The only thing that mattered now was keeping Amy's heart pumping. While they were working on Amy, Knuckles rushed over to Sonic's side. He was back to his normal self, the last wisps of black smoke fading away to nothing. He was breathing heavily, his head pressed against the wall. He was clearly exhausted, his energy drained frofm the anger.

How could he have been so stupid? Letting his anger get the better of him, again! And now… he'd made things worse. He felt his heart pumping the blood through his veins in time with the doctors pumping at Amy's chest, charging up. "Clear" one shouted, and Sonic winced at the sound of electricity. Knuckles shook him, but Sonic didn't react. The only thing he could hear was e pumping. "Clear." sounded the doctor again. Clear… clear. Sonic tried to. He tried to clear his head, to focus on keeping Amy alive. He groggily got to his feet, and stumbled over to Amy's side. Knuckles reached out a hand to stop him, but decided against it. Sonic mumbled something, like a sleepwalker, as he made his way to Amy. The doctors shook heir heads, giving up hope. But Sonic hadn't. The doctors parted as he reached for Amy, and clasped her cold, lifeless hand. He leaned over, and put his lips to her ear… and blew chaos energy into her ear. Millions of tiny crystal fragments scattered into her body. Knuckles gasped in wonder, along with all the other doctors. Silence…. Sonic's shoulders sank.

Then Amy gasped, and began breathing normally.

The doctors stared in wonder, first at Sonic, then at Amy then at the machine. They began checking her for any long-term damage. They didn't even notice Sonic sink the floor, his exhaustion overwhelming him. Except the echidna, who made his way to his best friend's side…

* * *

**Good? I hope so :) Anyways see you guys in a week! Hope you forgive me for thinking Amy was dead :) It was just to make it more interesting ;) So yeah, until next time! I will correct it when I get back**


	15. Discharged

**Author's note:  
****Yayyyyyy my exams are finally over! (except a small one and a mock) So I should have time to write more now! Anway here's a smallish chapter to make up for my lack of writing. I had a bit of a writers's block at one point, but I'm good now :D Then begining of this chapter's a bit crap but I think it gets better as it goes on...  
****

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**

~Waters of Change~

**Discharged**

The doctors couldn't understand it.

They were sure that Amy was dead. She was! No pulse for long enough to get severe brain damage at the very least. And yet, here she was now, almost fully recovered, sitting up in bed, drinking orange juice in less than a week since her admittance. It was a miracle; one they could not solve. They checked her status daily. Regular, almost perfect heartbeat.

Sonic, on the other hand, wasn't doing as well. After that incident, he was unconscious for 4 days, and even after waking up he was still pretty weak. It was as though all of his energy had been drained, so now he was taking time to recharge.

Their friends visited daily, although they never spoke of the incident. Knuckles had made that mistake already. After Sonic had woken up, Knuckles was still puzzling over what exactly had happened. He had asked Sonic what he did, but Sonic, who had been happy to see him moments earlier, turned away and didn't move until Knuckles left the room.

The truth was, Sonic himself was still trying to work out what happened. He was confused, weak, vulnerable… and he hated it. In the end, his friends got the message. He hadn't seen them for 2 days. He passed them by staring up at the cracked, cheap plastered ceiling, trying to suss his feelings out.

"Okay, well the facts…" he thought to himself.

"Number one… Amy. I thought I didn't like her. When she finally gave me space I thought I'd be happy but… well anyway I like her more than I thought.

Two. I've probably pushed her too far. She clearly was, and probably still is angry at me. And I don't blame her. Not to mention she's stubborn as hell, so it'll be hard to get her on my good side again. No amount of running past her and smiling, or saving her is gonna fix this that easily.

Three. Somehow I managed to….." To what? Sonic didn't even really know what happened when he saved Amy. It was like… chaos emerald dust. But where was it from? Maybe being around them and using them so much made him permanently… super? Sonic creased his forehead. This was getting too complicated.

But the fact still stood. His and Amy's relationship was messed up. And he knew they couldn't live with that. As soon as they were both discharged from the hospital they would be back to their daily lives. No more hiding for her, they'd see each other everyday.

"That is gonna be awkward." decided Sonic. He had to fix this… but how? He realised he didn't know a thing about girls. Sure he knew how to impress them, to show off, to save them… but this? What was he supposed to do when they hated your guts?

He racked his brains for hours on end, staring intently at the wall as tough asking it for help. He had just about given up, and was eating dinner. (Chilli dogs) when it hit him. The one thing he would never have thought of… the last thing you'd expect the blue hedgehog to do… tell Amy he loved her.

A few months ago, Sonic would have cringed at the thought, dismissed it as sloppy and lovey-dovey. But so much had changed. He knew he had to do this. He slept on it, and in the morning he had prepared a speech. He got out of bed, and stretched his legs. Hmmm, lying in bed hadn't done them much good. After a few laps around the room, he made his way down the corridor. Nurses smile at him as he walked past. He was pretty well known by now. He was used to it.

Amy was only a few wards down, but Sonic made every step last. For once, he didn't feel like running. With every step he recited another part of his speech. He went through the conversation in his head.

_Sonic: *enters* Hey Amy… *smiles sweetly*_

_Amy: *looks up* Oh, Hi Sonic. *blushes slightly, and eyes glaze over.*_

_Sonic: Hey Amy can I talk to you?_

_Amy: *nods and pats bed beside her to signal him to take a seat.*_

_Sonic: Well Amy, the thing is, I've been having feelings for you lately, and they're kinda hard to describe. But I want you to know that… *voice trails off*_

_Amy: *takes Sonic's hand and gazes into yes* Sonic if you're gonna say what I think you are then… just say it._

_Sonic: Well Amy... *leans in* I... love you. *He bows his head* But I know I was wrong wit the way I treated you, and I want you to know I never meant to hurt you. It's just..._

_Amy: Sonic, it's okay. *strokes his cheek* I've already forgiven you._

_Sonic: *grabs Amy and pulls her close as they embrace for a long kiss*_

It was perfect. Nothing could go wrong. He stood just before her doorway, and took a deep breath. Then he slowly pushed the door open, and walked softly inside.

"Hey A-" he began, but stopped short. His 'sweet' smile rapidly shrank. Amy was up and dressed. Her bed was made. The cards and flowers from the windowsill gone. A suitcase by her side. She looked up at him, then her face fell.

"Oh... hey…" she answered, unenthusiastically.

"Hmm…" Sonic thought. Not the best start. "Hey Amy, I was wondering if we could-" She raised an eyebrow at him. "talk..." his voice squeaked and trailed off.

She sighed. "What is there to talk about Sonic? I get it, you don't like me. Don't pretend for my sake. I'm sick of being lied to." Whoa. Talk about intensely grouchy. Still, he continued.

"Erm well I think that… I-I…. can I sit down?" he asked finally, loosing his nerve. He feebly gestured towards the bed.

"No, you can't" Amy rolled her eyes. "Didn't you know, I've been discharged." What?

"No wait Amy, I wanted to say… I mean hurting you… I… feelings, erm… hold my hand" he stuck out his hand. Amy looked up, unsure whether to laugh or not, but still ice cold." No I mean." Sonic blushed. He blushed!

"Wait… what?" thought Amy. "Sonic, blushing?" He was still warbling on about stuff. What the hell was he talking about? Amy couldn't take this. Whether he was genuine or not she could barely stand being in the same room.

"Look Sonic I have to go." Sonic's eyes widened.

"No wait, Amy-"

"No Sonic I'm not waiting. I waited for years for you. Years. And yet here I am now, with Sonic, Sonic the hedgehog, asking me to wait." She laughed at the irony, her voice cracking with tears. Sonic noticed this.

"But Amy-" He tried grabbing her hand.

"Well you know what?" she carried on, shrugging away. "I'm through with waiting. Whatever you have to say, it can wait, just like me, right?" She didn't wait for an answer. "See how you like to wait Sonic the hedgehog." And with that, she flounced out the room, the door banging shut behind her. Sonic's hand was still outstretched as he watched the door swing closed.

"But- I love you…"

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**Awwwww, who else feels bad for Sonic? Yeah, I had a bit of inspiration for this chapter. So what do you guys think? I want feedback ;) Hopefully a new chapter up someitme soon. xx**


	16. The Reunion Party

**Author's Note:**

**Oh em gee! An update! :O I feel really baaad for not upadting *shrugs sheepishly* I kinda lost motivation for a bit, and I was worried that I wasn't going to want to continue, however: I have motivation now! :DDD Your reviews and alerts kept me going :') thnak you so much guys for the support, I never expected so much! And to thank you... here is an extra long hot and juicy chapter! My longest yet ;) I started it like 2 week ago, then lost motivation, but suddenly today I was like WAM and I wrote like 3 pages in a couple of hours! There's lots of drama in it (and ANOTHER storm!) And I've left it on a mahoossive cliffhanger :3 cuz I'm evil :P But enough chitchat from me, why aren't you reading already?  
Also I don't think there are many mistakes, but I will go back and fix the little ones later. I checked for any major ones, so it should be legible :P  
**

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**~Waters of Change~**

**The Reunion Party**

A few days following the incident with Amy, Sonic was discharged from the hospital. He sighed with relief as he walked through the glass doors into the outer world. He liked being served chilli dogs at every opportunity, but it was too cramped in there. He felt as good as new, and couldn't wait for a couple of hours to himself to dash around. Tails was already waiting for him in the parking lot, the X-Tornado stretching over 3 spaces. Sonic hopped in.

"Good to be back, buddy." he thumbed up Tails. The fox smiled back.

"Good to have you back. Everyone can't wait to see you. In fact, we're holding a party at Chris' to celebrate. It's gonna be a blast, everyone's gonna be there!"

"_Everyone?…" _thought Sonic. Almost as though Tails read his mind, he turned from the wheel and said. "We're also throwing it for Amy, since you were both in hospital. Is everything… okay between you two?" he asked. Sonic thought. He didn't want to worry his friends.

"Yeah, everything's great." he replied with a smile. Tails smiled, and turned back to the wheel.

"Well, everyone's meeting there tonight at seven. I was thinking of making some chips with guacamole but I forgot to buy the avocado. Do you think you could wiz to the shop before it closes and get me some? I'll need two." Sonic thumbs-upped Tails, and opened the aerial window. He leaped out, and headed for the supermarket.

Two hours later, Sonic found himself on the doorstep of Chris' house. He balanced the bowl of chips against his waist as he used his free arm to ring the doorbell. Tails held the bowl of dip. A blurred shadow grew as Sonic picked up footsteps heading towards the door. It opened, and Chris stood, smiling in the doorway.

"Hey guys, glad you could make it. Oh, and you brought dip! Cool." He opened the door to let them in. "Everyone's out back, by the pool. Sonic sped ahead to put the chips and dip on the table. Food of all shapes, sizes and tastes were arranged. Cookies, pizza, burgers, salad, and Sonic's favourite, chilli dogs! He licked his lips, but as he reached out to take one, a gloved hand smacked it away. He turned and found Rouge standing behind him, hands on her hips, bearing a deep purple bikini.

"My my, isn't it a bit rude to eat before everyone's ready?" she grinned. Sonic smiled back.

"Hey, when the chilli calls, I gotta eat."

She shrugged. "Anyway, have you seen old knuckle-head around?" Sonic shook his head.

"I just got here. Hey, why do you want him anyway?"

Rouge lightly blushed, but kept her cool. "Oh, he just owes me a little something. Anyway, see you around Sonic." she winked and turned back to the crowd. Sonic shook his head and chucked to himself. It was so obvious Knuckles and Rouge liked each other, but they were both too proud to admit it… now, about that chilli dog.

Sonic turned round, and was about to reach for it yet again, when someone bumped into him.

"Hey watch it!" mumbled the red echidna as he turned around. He realised that it was Sonic he had bumped into, and looked relieved. "Oh, hey Sonic." His face looked troubled.

"Hey Knuckles. What's up? You look kinda paranoid…."

Knuckles sighed. "It's just the stupid Chaotix. They're ticking me off.

"Why, what are they doing to ya? Hit a soft spot, did they?" Sonic joked.

"No!" shouted Knuckles. He hated it when anyone accused him of being weak in any shape or form. "It's just… they keep teasing me about Rouge. Like making jokes about how we're 'meant for each other' and how much I 'love' her. Well it's not true and I don't!" although he sounded confident, his face looked unsure.

"Perfect." thought Sonic.

"Well Knuckles…" he began, trying to look innocent. "Rouge was lookin' for ya earlier on. Said she had something for you." Knuckles stared at him.

"Really? Oh well I mean… ahem, not that I really care…." Sonic patted him on the back.

"Of course you don't buddy, of course you don't."

Knuckles stood in an awkward silence for a bit. Then he suddenly moved.

"Well I'm, erm, off to err… speak to Cream. Ahem... see ya." He waved, and walked off… in the opposite direction to Cream. Sonic shook his head and sighed. His stomach protested.

"Okay okay, I'll feed you." He thought as he patted his tummy. He turned…. and his mouth dropped. Vector stood there with the entire plate of chilli dogs in his hand! And boy was he shovelling them down like there was no tomorrow.

"Oh, hey thonic." he said with his mouth full. "Din't thee you there." A piece of chilli dog landed on Sonic's nose. He twitched, and flicked it off, then plastered a massive fake grin on his face.

"Oh hey, Vector, oh buddy oh pal."

"Good parthy, ithn't it?" Vector complimented. "Theeth thilli ogs are gweat!" he belched, and continued eating. Sonic could only stand there and watch painfully.

"Yeah I'm sure they are... not that I would know…" he mumbled, annoyed. Vector tipped the last few crumbs off the plate into his mouth, and sighed, patting his stomach. Then his eyes widened as he focused on something behind Sonic.

"Whoa she looks… I mean I knew Rouge was helped her to choose an outfit and makeup and all but… wow." Sonic slowly turned, and saw Amy standing in the doorway of Chris' house, her face half illuminated by the lights. Her hair framed her face with perfection, not one hair out of place. She had no makeup on except for a slight hint of blush which matched her hair. She wore a pink, summery dress and beige sandals with little pink roses attached. Sonic was breath taken.

She looked around, then smiled in his direction. Sonic was momentarily confused, until Cream skipped past him, and joined Amy's side. The two made their way through the crowd, laughing about some sort of hot gossip. Sonic's eyes followed her pink body as she disappeared into the crowd. He didn't realise of obvious his staring was until a hand waved about in front of his face.

"Earth to Sonic!" called Tails. The blue hedgehog shook his head to clear it, then stared at the fox.

"Oh was I… was I that obvious?" Sonic asked shakily. Tails sheepishly nodded. After an awkward pause he added.

"So, you really like her, don't you Sonic?" Sonic sadly smiled.

"But she hates my guts, it's clear to see that." Knuckles joined them at that point.

"Who doesn't hate your guts, Sonic?" he joked, but saw his friend wasn't in a laughing mood. Sonic explained to them what happened at the hospital. Once he'd finished explaining, Knuckles let out a long, low whistle.

"Sure sounds like she has something against ya." he remarked.

"But I'm sure you'll work this out." rushed in Tails. "I mean, you've had you fights before and it's turned out alright.

"But nothing as big as this." sighed Sonic. He looked up at the sky and closed his eyes to think. "I just dunno what to do-" A raindrop splattered onto his nose. Tails' ear twitched as one hit him as well. The crowd of people immediately went silent as everyone looked up. All the stars had gone out one by one as massive, dark menacing clouds grew overhead. Everything went dark as the moon was swallowed up by the last few whisps of cloud. No sound was heard except for the occasional drip… then the heavens opened.

Rain soared through the sky and dive-bombed into the pool, rolled down rooves and ricocheted off the patio. Everyone started panicking and rushed about. Some people rushed inside the Thorndike's house for shelter. Others attempted to grab the food before it got completely soaked. Tails and Knuckles were swept away in the crowd rushing about. Everyone gasped as lighting crashed overhead. Sonic muttered Mississippi's to himself. Only 3... 3 miles away in such a short space of time.

"This is gonna be one hell of a storm" thought Sonic. "I just can't seem to escape them." Guests continued to dart under trees, hop over fences to rush home, and help others inside. Then he heard a shriek, and turned. Rouge was struggling to reach the side of the pool.

"Crap, the lighting!" thought Sonic. He heard someone shout 'Rouge!' from far away, and a red steak whizzed past him. The echidna dived into the water and grabbed Rogue around the waist. He clawed through the water, and reached the side. Sonic skidded through puddles to help, as Knuckles handed her up, then boosted himself out. HE was just in time.

Lighting crashed and sliced right into the pool before Sonic's eyes. Knuckles grabbed Rouge from his arms.

"Come on Sonic, inside!" he shouted. Sonic turned and followed suite, aiming for the worried faces in the doorway. But the ground was slick with water, and he kept skidding…. until his feet gave way and he fell head over heels…

Onto the hard stone patio…

Where he hit his head…

And skidded over to the pool…

And tipped off the edge…

Sonic plunged into the watery whirlpool. Chlorine stung his eyes as he struggled to keep awake through the pain. A trail of dark red liquid seeped out of his head and spiralled up towards the surface. He had to stay awake, had to make it to the surface. He concentrated on the pain, trying to bring himself round. He reached out a shaky hand to the surface, but he had no energy to move it any further.

Meanwhile, everyone stood in the doorway in shock. Knuckles was the quickest to react, as he left the doorway and followed the stream of Sonic's blood towards the pool, followed by Amy. Tails held Cream back, as she cried and protested to help her friends. Knuckles and Amy reached the water, but were blown back by a massive force. A bolt of lighting hit the pool, illuminated the whole of Chris' backyard.

Sonic felt the thousands if not millions of volts rushed through his body, sending shockwave after shockwave through him. He screamed, but all that came out was a rapid parade of bubbles that scampered to the surface. He felt as though barbed wire was being raked across every inch of his body, snagging on every nerve, tugging them to their limit. The last of the oxygen escaped him as he hit the pool floor.

All Knuckles could do was stare. The water fizzled, but before he could react, Amy rushed by.

"Amy!" he shouted, and reached out to stop her, but she plunged into the electrical currents.

The electricity had died down by then, so Amy was at no harm as she dived to the bottom. She reached for the pile of dark blue fur as her ears popped with the pressure. She scooped up Sonic's limp body, and struggled to swim to the surface. But Knuckles' strong arm reached in, and helped tug him out. They dragged him into the house, and everyone gasped at the amount of blood diluted with water that spilt everywhere. Everyone cleared the corridor as Amy and Knuckles lay Sonic down.

Chris handed Knuckles some cloth, which he applied with pressure to Sonic's head. Everyone tensed in silence as Tails pressed his ear to the limp hedgehog's chest. No pulse. Amy's eyes widened as Tails shook his head. On impulse, she leaned over and placed her mouth on his. She breathed into him, then thumped his chest. After a few tries, Tails tried to hold her back.

"It's no use, he's gone…" he whispered. Amy violently shook her head and continued to thump him, again and again and again until….

Sonic gasped as his eyes snapped open. His vision focused to the worried faces surrounding him.

"Wha- where am I? What happened…?"

"Well…" began Knuckles. "You cracked you head open, almost drowned and were shocked by a gazillion volts, and yet here you are alive." he shook his head in disbelieve. "How do you do it?"

"I dunno" mumbled the hedgehog. "I guess I'm… well built?" Everyone stared for a moment, then Knuckles started chuckling. Then Tails began to laugh, followed by Cream and Chris. Even Amy cracked a weak smile. Soon the whole crowd erupted into laughter, party of relive, partly disbelieve, and partly at the miraculousness of it all. Knuckles patted Sonic on the back. "You sure do attract trouble, don't you?"

Sonic smiled. "That's me, always the centre of danger..."

As people began to spread out and clear up, no one noticed a dark figure perched on the wall outside a window. It was hard to see, but if you looked to the left of the barbeque just as lighting lit up the sky, you might have seen a hidden figure standing there, monitoring the commotion. If you looked hard enough, you could see the red eyes fizzle with revenge, and if you listened hard enough, you could hear the ping as water made contact with metal. Or maybe you could hear the harsh, robotic laugh that grinded between the gears of this most complicated weapon… of destruction…

* * *

**Okay, you are free to hate me now :P I don't know when the next chapter will be up... and to be honest I don't really know where this is going. I guess I'll just end up where I end up... xD  
But anyway, I bet you guys can guess who that person at the end is! :3 and if not.. .well, you'll find out in a late chapter ;) But if you guys remeber well, a couple of chapters back Espio thought he saw something, but he wasn't sure? Well I haven't forgotten that, hence the end of this chapter. More excitement to come soooon!**

**Remeber: Reviews make me happy :)**

**So do cupcakes :3**


	17. The Final Project

**Author's Note:**

**It's me again :) I know I should have uploaded sooner but it's the end of term and so I've been busy with school. But: SCHOOL IS OUT BABY! *cheers* :DDD Which means that I have a lot more time to add to my story. However: I am leaving for Italy tomorrow and I will be gone for 10 days so don't expect any replies from me as of tomorrow. I will reply once I'm back :)****I just remembered that I hadn't posted anything for a while, so I thought I should do something quick to warn you guys I won't be here. It ended up being a pretty long chapter :P I literally wrote this in half an hour this morning O_O" So don't expect much, okay? ;)****So this is basically a flashback chapter just so you know. And also a warning: It contains a little gruesomeness.**

* * *

**~Waters of Change~  
The Final Project**

_Finally, the day had come!_

_Dr. Robotnik had been waiting for this day for a long, long time. For weeks now, he had been slaving away at his 'new project'. He never left the lab, except to get more of the necessary parts that he needed. Of course, someone like him couldn't just stroll into a hardware store and ask for them… he had to do it his own way. Still, it was only a few dead people... what did their lives matter in the face of one of the greatest creation of all time? And besides, no one would miss a few low-life shelf-stackers._

_Eggman wiped the sweat and grease from the top of his shiny, bald head. He couldn't even remember the last time he had bathed. He twiddled his droopy moustache. He'd lost track of time in his lonely little world. He'd been so determined to finish his project…._

_At first, his robots supported him, knowing that he'd either give up on it or not take much time on it: another failure. And there had been failures. Lots and lots of failures…. Which was why Eggman didn't want to mess this one up. He was sick of failing, sick of that damn hedgehog shoving every single failure in his face. This time, he was going to prove him wrong…_

_His robots gradually drifted away, becoming increasing bored with Robotnik's determination. When Eggman realised this, his anger and short temper quickly took over. A quick trip to the metal-masher, and his little robot companions were no more. It didn't even occur to him what he had done, all this time he had been driven more and more into the realms of insanity. Under the navy-blue lenses of his glasses were a pair of deep black, emotionless eyes, outlined with dark, bruised bags from the lack of sleep. He was a changed man, and he liked it…._

_The doctor cocked his head as he heard the sound of his lab door creaking open. A small navy creature came stumbling in, holding out a tray of a limp pile of noodles sitting in a puddle of lukewarm juice. He inched over to Robotnik, and knelt down, holding out the tray._

"_Dr. Robotnik, sir. Your dinner." chimed his electronic voice, filled with weariness. Eggman took one look at the noodles, and bashed it away with his hand._

"_Fool, how dare you disturb me, especially in the final stages of completion! I don't have time to eat, especially not… this dirt. Now leave me Bokkun." he spat in the little creatures face._

_Bokkun sat shivering in the pile of noodles. "But sir, you need to ea-"_

"_I said LEAVE!" Eggman bellowed, his voice echoing inside the enclosed lab like a ghost whispering over and over. He grabbed Bokkun by the neck, and raised him up to a standing position. Bokkun was dropped down again with a thud, his skinny ankles just holding up his weight._

"_Y-yyy… yes sir." he said, and closed the door behind him. Eggman smiled at the sound of fear and tears in his voice._

_He turned back to his project. The metal gleamed in front of him like gold. His glasses flashed, and he smiled and let out an evil cackle. He grabbed the grease-splattered rag next to him, and scrubbed at the face until it gleamed like new. It was ready._

_Eggman walked over to his energy converter machine. He limped slightly on the way there. If you look closely at his left leg, you would notice a scarred, burnt mass where his creation went wrong in the earlier stages. He rubbed the sore spot, then unstooped himself. Any evil genius would have to admit that the Eggman Energy Converter 3000 was a pretty useful machine. Probably one of the few that actually worked in Eggman's lab._

_Of course, finding something to generate enough energy was tough. Eggman calculated that he would need atleast 3 chaos emeralds to generate the power he needed. And it wasn't easy getting them. But no matter. A little help on Rouge's part, a surprise visit to the museum of strange artefacts and a battle or two with Sonic and his friends, and he had them._

_He pressed his greasy nose up against the glass, gazing inside at the ruby-red, emerald-green, and sky-blue emeralds. He flashed his teeth into a smile, then tore his head away from them, leaving a little round mark on the glass. He coughed as he worked his way through the controls. It was a deep, hoarse, wheezy cough. His health hadn't improved since he'd cooped himself up in his lab, eating nothing but undercooked noodles and dirty water prepared by Bokkun. Still, a job was a job, and he was willing to sacrifice it all to make it work._

_He adjusted the direction of the beam, then pressed a couple of numbers. They made hollow bleeping sounds as he pressed each one in turn. He cranked a lever, then went to adjust his newest creation. H shifted it to the right, then checked to make sure it was in line with the laser. He grinned. Perfect._

_He made sure the shackles were on the robot tight, and then made his way back to the machine. He grasped a dusty handle, and began to crack it. He kept turning and turning, and with every circle he made, a steady humming deep within the machine got louder, and louder, and louder, until it screamed out into the night, piercing the silence. Eggman let out a magnificent roar of laughter, and a beam of pure gold light shot out of the laser, directly into the centre of the robot. Both the machine and it fizzled with the electricity. It lit up the lab, exposing the evil lines of anger, weariness and determination on Eggman's face. He grinned, spreading it all over his face._

"_Yes. Yes! YES!" he shouted, and punched the air…._

_Then the machine exploded in his face._

_He was knocked backwards into his desk, throwing paper, pencils and other various tools everywhere. The machine fizzled out, and the room sank into darkness. Eggman groaned, and rubbed his head as he sat up. He reached inside his desk draw for a torch. He grasped the cold, metal and flicked the switch. Lose wires spat out sparks as he made his was round the debris. He looked down on his creation, still as cold and lifeless as before, except for the burn mark in the centre of its body._

_No! It couldn't have failed! Not now! He had tried everything! He lashed out in anger, and kicked bits of his machine everywhere. Stupid, stupid machine! He roared out with anger and chucked his torch into a corner, where it smashed into the wall and died out. Eggman pounded on his creation._

"_LIVE!" he shouted. "LIVE LIVE LIVE!" again and again and again. His gloved hands pounded the hollow metal, sending waves of pain up his arm, but he didn't care. He bent his head over the robot, and took short, gasping breaths, trying to get his energy back. Sweat poured down his face, and he groaned in defeat. The door creaked open once more, and Bokkun crept up to Eggman._

"_Dr. Robotnik? It's okay, don't worry. There are plenty more chances to-" He gasped in surprise, and stepped back. Dr. Eggman heard this, and looked up… to pair of gleaming, blood-red eyes. HE too stepped back as he gazed in wonder at the robot. It tried to sit up, but was retrained by the shackles. It flexed its arms, and the metal broke away like paper. He turned his head, and stared at Robotnik. It lit up Eggman's face to a shade of red. All he could do was stare in amazement._

_His ears twitched to the sound of Bokkun whimpering in the corner. The robot heard as well. His head turned as Robotnik heard the sound of gears working inside its body. The robot tore away the last of the restraints, and marched over to the small, sobbing creature. He looked down at Bokkun, and tilted its head in curiosity. He reached a hand out to him. Bokkun looked up in surprise, the tears still streaming down his face. He stared at the hand, and let out a whimper… then slowly reached out his hand to meet the robots._

_In a flash, the robot snatched his hand away and lifted Bokkun up by the head. He held him at eye level, looking at his petrified face one last time, then squished his head in his hand like an uncooked egg._

_He dropped the dead body to the floor, and turned back to Eggman. He tested his voice, and let out a creaky. "I'm sorry Dr. Robotnik. He felt fear. Fear is not tolerated."_

_Eggman was staring at the body, but then turned away. "No, no that's fine." he replied. "He was a useless minion anyway." He held out his dirty, gloved hand to the robot's. The metal grasped hold of it gingerly, and shook it. Eggman grinned._

_"Welcome back, Metal Sonic..."_

* * *

**Sorry for being so evil to everyone :( And I know it was mean to kill off all of Eggman's minions, but honestly, I didn't really want them in the story, so I thought this would be an effective way of getting rid of them. It also portrays how evil and serious this is getting...**

**So, until next time my fellows ;) Ciao! :)**


	18. Minor Annoyances

**Author's Note:  
****Hey guys, sorry for the inactivness. :/ I needed time to chill and see my friends after coming back from Italy. However, I have a chapter to make up for it! It's definitely my longest yet: it took up 9 pages on microsoft word :O  
****  
However, it was also annoying to make. I was writing this quite late at night so by this point I was getting really tired. So I finally finished this section with Chris and Helen when I realised that I had stupidly forgotten one thing: They were supposed to be stargazing, but there was a storm going on, so htf could they do that? So yh, I had to rewrite that whole section -_- But after that it was cool :)**

**Also, I know the last few chapters have had lots of action packed into them, so here's a chapter with more relationship drama, and less fighting. Infact, the only major action scene is at the end, when... well, I'll leave it to you guys to read ;)**

**AND I've actually proof-read this, so hopefully typos will be kept to a minimum :D**

* * *

**~Waters of Change~**

**Minor Annoyances**

Sonic hated being restless. After recovering from his 'little dip in the pool' he was forced to lie down on Chris' bed to fully recover. They couldn't get him looked at by a doctor until the rain cleared up, so Charmy was left to make sure Sonic didn't fall asleep, in case he had concussion.

"Stupid rain." thought Sonic, as he glared out the window into the inky blackness. Most of the guests made a run for it as the rain broke out, but a small handful still remained caught in the storm, including Knuckles, Tails, Amy, Rouge, Cream and Cheese and the Chaotix. Everyone agreed to stay inside until the storm cleared; it was too dangerous for flying with the lighting, and too slippery and dark to walk.

Knuckles' words still rang in Sonic's ears as he explained how Amy had saved Sonic's life. "And of course, I did help." he smiled, and flexed his muscles, making sure Rouge was watching.

"Amy…" thought Sonic. "Why did she save me? Maybe she doesn't completely hate me after all…" His eyes closed as he drifted into his thoughts. "Maybe I still have a shot-"

He was rudely interrupted by Charmy, who yanked on his ear. Sonic winced, and opened an eye to reveal the little bee flapping about in front of his face.

"No falling asleep, remember?" he sighed, and returned to his post, a determined look etched on his face.

"This is stupid." grumbled Sonic. "Trust me, I don't have concussion. And if I do collapse, there's a house full of people to notice it!" Charmy looked sheepish.

"Yeah, but Sonic, they said-"

"I don't care! I'm more likely to go crazy lying here doing nothing then walk about out there!" Charmy's expression changed to one of doubt. "Come on Charmy, pleeeaaase?"

The little bee sighed. "Okay, okay, you win. But don't tell them I let ya out, m'kay?"

Sonic smiled. "Of course not." He jumped up, and walked out the door as Charmy followed him with worried eyes. Sonic passed Tails walking down the corridor.

"Sonic?" he gasped with surprise. "Why are you-"

"Charmy let me loose." he smirked, and walked off.

"Hey!" came an indignant shout from Chris' room.

Amy hated being unsure of herself. But more than that, she hated Sonic…didn't she?

"Yes!" she thought. "I do, I do, I-"

"Amy? You okay?" The pink hedgehog turned to find Rouge's opal eyes staring at her quizzically. "You seem deep in thought. What's up?"

Amy sighed. How could she possibly explain what she was thinking right now, even to one of her closest friends.

"It's just, I guess a lack of sleep." she decided on. "You know, I haven't had the easiest time recently."

Rouge nodded, but doubted what Amy said was the real reason. But she didn't press any further. "Well if you need someone to talk to, I'm here." she said flatly, and walked off.

"Stupid!" thought Amy. "Now she doesn't' think I trust her. I feel bad… and it's all Sonic's fault! Why the heck did I save him in the first place? Someone else could have…" but even as she questioned herself, she knew that she had done the right thing, whether she liked Sonic or not.

"I'm not ready to forgive him but… maybe we could be friends." she decided on. With a nod to herself, she went to chat to Cream.

Vector hated his feet. Thy always got in the way. So much, that he had to walk with a funny swagger so he didn't trip over them. And it didn't help that the most beautiful rabbit in all of everywhere was in the same room. He glanced around the living room. Hmmm, only Tails was here, chatting to Chris. They would be easy to get rid of.

"Hey, Tails!" he called over. The fox turned, and joined him "Hey, what's up Vector?"

"Well you see, I think the storm did something to the electrics. I tried the bathroom lights upstairs, and they don't seem to be working."

"Oh, don't worry, I'll sort it. Care to give me a hand Chris?" He nodded, and they both left. Only Vanilla was left, standing by a cabinet, looking through the Thorndike's family photos. She had her back to him.

"Okay Veckie, you can do this. Just angle your feet, and walk over to her. Nice and slowly, that's it-" He tripped over his toes and crashed to the floor in front of Vanilla. She turned in surprise and looked down.

"Oh my! Are you alright Vector." She reached out a hand to help him up. Vector blushed at the touch of her soft, warm fur.

"Hehe yeah, just uh, tripped over the…" He glanced round desperately to find something to trip over. "The uh, corner of the sofa" he grinned and rubbed the back of his neck. Vanilla giggled.

"Well, if you say so." Her laugh was very similar to Cream's, but more mature. They stood in silence. "I was just looking through the Thorndike's pictures." she said, breaking the silence. "Such a lovely family. Look, there's Chris, only 5 months old. His Grandfather looks so young there. It's kinda funny how quickly time passes."

Vector snuck a glance at her, and saw sadness in her eyes. "Hey, are you okay?" he asked. Vanilla looked up.

"Me, oh yes... well, it's just… sometimes I wish I had a big family. Don't get me wrong, I love Cream, but… her father and I wanted a nice big family, you know? But then…" tears began filling her eyes. "I know it's silly, and probably far too late but, I just wish I had someone to love again…" The tears began tracing rivers across her smooth, sweet face.

Vector brushed the tears from her cheeks. "Vanilla don't worry because…. because…." She looked up with curiosity. Vector took a deep breath.

"Because I'm here for you baby, ready to love you till my heart stops beating, and past that." He swept her into his arms. Vanilla gasped in surprise.

"Vector! I… I-." She smiled. "I love you too!" She leans forward, and the two share a passionate kiss.

Vector shook his head from his daydream, and took a deep breath. "Because… I'm here for you… ya know? If you wanna… talk." he mumbled awkwardly. She looked up, and smiled.

"Thank you Vector, it's so nice to have a good friend like you." She gave him a hug. "Well, I need to go see how Cream is doing. She sometimes gets scared of storms, you know. Goodbye." Vanilla exits, leaving Vector standing there in a slump.

"A good friend!" he thought. "A good friend?"

"IT'S BECAUSE OF MY FEET, ISN'T IT?" he called out, and stomped his feet like a stubborn child.

"What was that?" Vanilla poked her head through the doorway.

"Oh nothing just… had something in my throat." mumbled Vector.

"Oh, okay." She looked at him for a few seconds, then left. Vector hit his forehead against the wall and groaned.

Rouge hated her body. She splashed cold water on her face, and examined herself in the bathroom mirror. Sure it was the right shape; curvy in all the right places and all that jazz. She turned around. Even her muscular legs could be called sexy. But the problem was, she never knew if men liked her for… well, her, or if it was just her looks. Like Knuckles for example. She always caught him staring at her, but she couldn't tell if he was admiring her body, or her as a person. She reached for the nearest towel and dabbed at her face.

"Maybe I should wear less makeup." she questioned. "Or maybe loose the tight suit. It is kinda… slutty I guess." She shrugged at her reflection. "The hearts are a little girlish. Maybe something a little less… obvious?"

The bat folded the top of her boots down until they were more like trainers, pulled up her neckline until it was covering her cleavage, and removed the gloves. She took another glance in the mirror. "Ugh, this is useless! Even in a trash bag my curves would show!" she thought angrily as she rolled up her boots and put back on her gloves. As she stormed out the bathroom, she noticed Chris' parent's door was open. She peeked inside, then glanced to make sure no one was around. Then she quietly tiptoed in like the spy she was.

Her bat senses spotted a walk-in wardrobe door in the dark. She slunk over, and opened the door, then gasped. Clothes lined the rails, and shoes were stored below. The whole thing stretched from one end of the massive room to the next. She whistled appreciatively.

"Easy girl, you want something unflattering. Ignore the glitz and find the baggy, old stuff." Easier said then done when searching through a multi-millionaire actress's wardrobe. About ten minutes later, Rogue lay panting on the ground, but still no luck.

"Wasn't this woman anything more than a size zero in her life?" she thought, frustrated.

"That's it, screw men! Screw looks, screw them all! If they think I'm easy just cuz of my looks, then they have a whole other thing coming." Now she was pissed off. "I shouldn't have to change my looks, just cuz of a stupid man. I give up!" she stormed out the room angrily, only to bump in to Knuckles, on his way to the bathroom.

"WATCH IT KNUCKLE-HEAD!" she screamed at him.

"Whoa, take it easy Rogue! Someone must have stolen a lot of your gems to get you this worked up." he joked. Seeing she was not in a joking mood, he shrugged. "Lighten up will ya?" he waltzed off to the bathroom. As Rogue looked back, she once again caught him looking at her. She glared at him, and started storming towards him. Knuckles rapidly shut the door, but this didn't stop Rouge.

"KNUCKLES YOU OPEN THIS DOOR RIGHT NOW!" she shouted, and pounded on the wooden door, making small dents in it.

"Take it easy Rogue! You're gonna break the door down!"

"WELL STOP COWARING IN THERE AND COME FACE ME LIKE A MAN!"

"Why should I? What do you want?"

"To ask you a question!" she snarled.

"I think I'm okay in here thanks." whimpered Knuckles.

"Look Knuckles, I don't want any playing around! I just wanna know why you always look at me like that!"

The door opened a crack. "Like... like what?" he asked.

"Don't play stupid with me!" she snapped. "Why are you always glancing at me huh? Is it cuz of these?" She gestured to her boobs. "Or these?" To her legs. "Or this?" To her butt. "Is it cuz I'm hot and you wanna get with me? Well is it? Is it? IS IT?" she screamed in his face.

"NO!" he shouted back. Rouge shut up. "I mean, yes you're attractive, I won't deny it." he stuttered, his face turning a deep shade of red. "But that's not the reason."

"Oh…" questioned Rouge. "Well then what is?" she leaned in as Knuckles' face colour deepened.

"Well it's cuz-, I-, I-… I NEED THE TOILET!" he yelled, and darted back inside the bathroom. Rouge chucked.

"Knuckie, you old softie." she smirked.

"Shut up!" whined Knuckles from behind the door. Rogue walked away, with a little bit more bounce in each step, as she smiled to herself.

Chris hated his hair. It always seemed to stick up every which way, no matter how he dried it or how much gel he put on it. He snuck a peek over at his friend Danny. His hair was always looking cool. Sure it was too short to stick up, but that's not the point. Chris left the living room to grab a snack from he kitchen.

"Maybe I should cut it? Nah, it'd probably look worse." argued Chris with himself as he walked down the corridor.

Suddenly, Chris' mom appeared from around the corner. "Oh, hello sweetie." she chimed. "I hope this storm doesn't last to long. I need to get back to filming soon. The director's counting on me, you know. Anyway, I think people could do with a snack, I'm off to bake. Bye darling." Without letting him have a word in edgeways, she ruffled his hair and pranced away. Chris sweatdropped, and attempted to flatter his hair, when he heard a giggle. He turned, and found Helen behind him, having witnessed the whole thing.

"Moms eh?" she smirked. Chris grinned sheepishly back. "Though I suppose a snack sounds good right about now." she continued.

Chris shook his head. "You haven't seen my mom's cooking, have you?" he grinned back. "Anyway, we should probably go warn everyone to take cover. She gets very enthusiastic… too enthusiastic." Helen giggled, and began wheeling herself towards Chris' library. Chris was following when he noticed a slight glitch in her wheelchair.

"Hold on Helen, has your wheelchair been giving you any trouble?" he queried.

"Well actually, now you mention it, one of the wheels seems a bit stiff…" she noted.

"Lemme fix that." Chris reasoned, and wheeled her to his room. Helen gasped once she was inside. Gadgets and tools littered every countertop. Prototypes lay scattered across the floor, and blue prints were tacked to the wall. Chris rubbed his neck "Yeah uh, sorry about the mess. If you want-"

"Your room's amazing!" gasped Helen. Chris looked at her with surprise. "It's like your own lab. Imagine the stuff you could make in here! You could stretch imagination's boundaries. Wow, what does this do?" She gestured to a small robot. "And this one? And that one? And this?"

"Well…" began Chris.

20 minutes later. "…which makes this a very important kitchen utensil." he concluded, holding up something that resembled a metal stick insect. Helen clapped. "Okay, now lets get started on that wheel of yours." He examined the wheel. "Hmmm, I think it just needs a bit of tightening and oiling. I'll get right to work." He grabbed a can of oil, and a wrench, as Helen wheeled herself over to his bed, and used her arms to sit on it.

5 minutes later, Chris wiped the grease of his hands. "There, that should do it. And I oiled the other one while I was at it. It should be smooth riding from here." he joked, as he helped Helen back onto the contraption. She tested it, winding through his various inventions.

"Just like new." she concluded, and smiled up at him. "Thanks Chris. You're a great friend." He gave her a thumbs up, and she gave one back. "Well, we should probably head back now, yeah?" Chris nodded. "Hold on, lemme put my tools away." Helen started for the door, but then stopped.

"Oh, and just for the record… your hair's cute!" She winked, and left. Chris stared at the empty space where she was for a good 10 seconds, then chuckled to himself, as he put his wrench away.

Tails hated plants. Well, he used to love them. The scent of flowers, the tickle of grass, the rustle of trees…. but now all they did was bring back painful memories of a certain green seedrian.

"Cosmo…" he sighed to himself. Although he hated plants, he had a need to constantly be around them. It comforted him to think that Cosmo was close. This was why he found himself in the Thorndike's indoor greenhouse. It was really… quiet. "Their house is so big I'm surprised no one gets lost in here." he pondered. But it gave him peace, and time to think. He lay down on a patch of particularly soft mulch, and closed his eyes.

He tried attaching his mind to one of the plants. He could feel every movement they made, every breath he took, the plants took in synchronisation. He was at one with the plants… at one with…

Suddenly, a scream echoed within his head. A petrified one, and he found himself screaming Cosmo's name. A flash of bright light blinded him, numbing his senses. A deep, low sound echoed in his ears as the cannon launched Sonic and Shadow at the cherry tree. Then…

Silence. Tails shivered and opened his eyes, only to find Cream looking down at him with bewilderment. "Tails…" she said slowly. "Are you alright?" He rapidly sat up, and dusted dirt from his fur.

"Yeah, I'm fine, just… resting."

"Well it sounded like you were having a bad dream." she said suspiciously. Tails shook his head.

"Nah, must have been the wind or something." He began to walk away when Cream called back.

"You know… I miss Cosmo as well." Tails stopped in his tracks, and turned to face her. She was already walking away, towards a patch of particularly bright roses.

"You know why I came down here?" She paused. "To look at the flowers. I've always loved flowers." She bent down to sniff a rose, and sighed with pleasure. "And I still do. You know why? Because whenever I see a pretty flower, it reminds me of Cosmo and her bubbly, bright personality. She was one of my best friends, and I was sad to lose her but… but I know she would want us all to be happy, and remember her as a happy, brave person."

By this time, Tails had faced away to avoid facing Cream with his tears. "I know it's right to do those things." Tails croaked. "But it's just too hard… I can't forget that moment. I just feel so guilty!" The tears quickly fell, moistening the ground at his feet. Cream walked over, and tilted Tails' head up. He gasped.

Flowers of every sort clothed Cream. Roses, lilies and violets were tucked in her ears, she had a necklace of daisies and poppies, and tulips wound their way up her arms, while a big sunflowers was tucked into her dress, poking out of the top.

"She looks so… happy… and beautiful." sighed Tails to himself. "I want to look happy again." He saw the real beauty in the flowers that Cream bore. Each one was unique, like Cosmo's personality, and each shone with beauty that only the seedrian could show him. He found himself smiling as he plucked a petal from one of the daises, and felt the silkiness between his fingers.

"You're right Cream, it's best to remember the good things, and let them drive me on through the bad things." He bore a grin so large; Cream had scarcely seen anything bigger. She giggled, and hugged the fox.

"Are you happy now Tails?" she asked, full of innocence as she looked up.

"Yeah… I am." Tails smiled back, and walked with Cream around the greenhouse, admiring all the flowers, and finding a quality of Cosmo in each of them.

"They really are beautiful…" he thought to himself.

Metal Sonic loved making his victims suffer. The brutal storm, the emptiness of the house, and the claustrophobia of being stuck inside… he loved it all. It made it easier and easier to intimidate his chosen victims. And it gave them more chance to run away. More space for a chase.

"And after all ,what's the fun of killing them straight off, when I can make them suffer for so much longer?..." he mused to himself. He caught a flash of movement out of the corner of his harsh, ruby red, glassy pupil. A light flickered on in a room nearby. He swooped down from the wall he had perched on, to the balcony outside. The wind provided the momentum he needed.

"I kinda like storms." he decided, listening to the rain making little 'ping' sounds as it bounced off his metal shell, and rnade paths down his slick body. He glanced in at the window, letting the shadows hide his mass. She was alone in the room.

Perfect…

He put his infrared sensors on, making it better visibility through the darkness. She seemed to be trying to get some sleep. She lay down on the bed, and rolled over on her side, so she was facing away from the window.

Slowly… slowly, metal Sonic used a sharp finger to slide through the gap in the window pane, and lift open the catch from the inside. Suddenly, a mighty gust of wind caught him off guard, and the windows flew open. Metal Sonic swooped onto the roof above as she looked out in surprise. When she leaned out, the robot swooped inside, barley making it through the small pace between her and the window pane. He landed softly, and hid inside a wardrobe.

Evidently deciding it was the wind, she began to pull the windows to, and pulled the curtains closed. She noticed puddles of water on the floor.

"Must have been rain that blew in." she decided. This room somehow gave her the creeps. As she was about to leave, she caught a glint of red from the reflection on the mirror. She looked at it. All that was reflected was an old wardrobe. But… the door was open a crack. Slowly, she walked towards the door, and reached out a hand to the cold, solid wood, and opened the creaky door.

Nothing, just clothes. "Silly, I'm getting creeped out over nothing." she laughed to herself. But… just to make sure, she reached out a hand and pulled back a bundle of clothes.

A pair of solid, red eyes stared back in the darkness. She gasped in surprise. She knew those eyes…

A flash of lighting illuminated Metal Sonic's shining mass. She screamed, but only for a moment. Metal Sonic reached out a hand, and grabbed her by the neck as she lifted her off the floor. She gasped out choking noises, and Metal Sonic slowly began crushing her airways.

"Stupid girl." he thought to himself. "So easy to kill… so easy…"

* * *

**Mwahahahahaha :3 So, who i the girl at the end? Will Amy ever forgive Sonic? Why are there so many storms? Keep reading and you'll find out ;) Thanks for al the support guys; much appreciated :D xx**


	19. When the Lights Go Down

**Author's Note:  
****Sheesh-kabab it took me long enough! Sorry you haven't heard from me in a wihle guys :L I am ETERNALLY SORRY! But I'm in year 11 now (or 10th grade is what you americans call it) so I have oodles of work :S I literally meant to get a chapter out a couple of weeks back, but I've had no time! Plus my inspiration went ka-putt. But I think it's back now :D I did this short chapter last night to give you guys the 411 about what's happening. So yh I wil eventually finish this story, and that's a promise...  
I just don't know when.**

P.S. Uber sorry for any mistakes! I'm leaving for this weekend to go on this drama trip so I don't have time to spell-check it now. Bear with me!

* * *

**~Waters of Change~**

**When the Lights Go Down**

Metal's tough, robotic arms were pressing into her windpipe, attempting to snap it like a twig. Metal himself was listening in anticipation, waiting for the subtle yet satisfying click as it broke. The girl had stopped shouting out now, she was only gently wriggling about, her mouth opening and closing in silent gasps, like a fish flopped on the deck. He was so close...

Then, his ear mechanism pricked up as the door beside them rattled. The girl had locked it for some peace, but now someone was trying to get in. Metal did nothing at first. He stood there, completely still, the girl still being held off the floor.

"Hey, is someone in there?" came a voice from the other side of the door. Silence. "Alright, I'm breaking in!" they shouted. Metal silently cursed as a massive sound echoed around as something heavy hit the door. He didn't have enough time to finish her without the person seeing him. And well, if he saw him…. then it wouldn't be as intimidating. They knew him, had beaten him once before. Revealing himself would give them relief, and he didn't want that. No, he had to be kept a mystery. He dropped the girl to the ground, and swept out the window as silently as he had come in, just as the door exploded open.

Knuckles walked hastily in, though the dust as it settled, and looked round. At first, he couldn't see anyone, until the dust cleared and the lightning flashed. Then he could see the body on the floor, withering in pain, pale as a ghost as the lighting lit up her fragile body.

"ROUGE!" he found himself shouting, as he knelt beside her. He felt her neck for a pulse, and sighed with relief as the faint throbbing hit his finger.

Hey Knuckles, what's up? I heard shouting. What, has Rouge been annoying you agai- Sonic strolled, a carefree look on his. But as soon as he saw Rouge, all the colour from his face drained away, the happiness gone. Get her downstairs now! he commanded, and walked over to help Knuckles lift her.

* * *

Why had the music cut out? Cream had been enjoying herself, jumping up a and down with Amy, but now they both stopped, and turned. When they what Knuckles and Sonic had carried in, they both squealed in shock. Cream's caring side immediately kicked in, and she rushed over to help, while Amy was standing there, still as a statue.

"No! Not Rouge…." she thought to herself. "Why…. What happened?" Knuckles turned to her. "I dunno I saw her go into the bedroom, and when I heard something I went to see what was wrong and I… I found her…. lying on the floor." Amy didn't realise she had asked aloud. She shook her head in disbelief, and snapped back to reality. She joined the others. By now a small group had gathered round Rouge, Tails and Chris included.

She's still breathing but it's very faint. Sonic began giving orders, like the natural born leader he was. Knuckles, help me carry her to the couch. Cream, get an ice pack or two, Tails you can help her. Chris, can you get a blanket and some cushions? And Amy… he paused, looking over, then pretended he didn't say her name. Oaky, Knuckles on the count of three. He supported Rouge's legs.

With a thunk, she was lifted onto the sofa. Knuckles gently angled her head on the cushions Chris brought in. Tails and Cream returned with ice packs.

"Looks like they don't need me." thought Sonic, and left the room, to be alone with his thoughts.

* * *

Espio sighed. Stupid rain. He couldn't meditate anywhere now, the rain made such a noise against the windows. He muttered to himself as he stumbled down the corridor, and almost bumped into Chris, who was walking in the opposite direction, carrying a bundle of blankets.

What are those for? Espio nodded towards the blanket. Chris peeked over the top of the pile.

Didn't you know, Rouge was find half dead! Someone had tried to strangle her, but we don't know who yet. But judging by the marks, it must have been something powerful. Anyway, why don't you help? She might need some painkillers or something when she wakes up. If you look in the bathroom a bit further down this corridor I think there's some in the white cupboard. He shifted the weight of the blankets, then wriggled past the chameleon in the small corridor. Espio sighed at his stumbling figure. He might as well help since there was nowhere quite. It was stupid getting worked up over this really. There were loads of them in the house, and this guy, whoever he was, clearly isn't brave enough to take on more than one person. He could handle him. No need to panic.

Bu still… it wouldn't hurt to keep his spy senses on high.

* * *

What was with him? Rouge just narrowly escapes death and he's still all weird around Amy? Sonic smacked his head with the palm of his hand. Keep it together Sonic. You've had worse. But then again, none of Eggman's robots had set his heart pounding, had they? He felt his head spinning, so he rested it against the cool pane of the window next to him, gazing out into the inky darkness, flinching at the rain pounding against the window. He breathed a sigh of relief has the throbbing subsided slightly, making a small misty patch in front of him. He gazed outside, mesmerised by the droplets racing down the shiver of glass.

A low, metallic chuckle rang through the core of Metal Sonic's body. They were so… stupid. Did they really think that a couple of ice packs and some blankets would fix this? After he was though, they would need more than that. He was surprised that they hadn't done anything about trying to find the bat's attacker. They would never guess it was him, after all, Sonic thought he was dead. Was that even possible? For a robot to die?

The robot amusedly pondered this, before returning to his previous thoughts. Well, they wouldn't guess anyway. That ditzy bat didn't know who he was, so he had no fear of her squealing. But she did catch a glimpse of his eyes. They might guess it was him afterall, and that… might ruin his fun. He didn't like it when people ruined his fun. He needed to act fast. Just wait for one of them to be isolated. He switched on his infrared scanners, and panned across the house, until his radar picked up his next victim. He wouldn't let them escape… not this time.

* * *

The bat's eyelids fluttered, then opened, revealing a pair of groggy, bloodshot opal eyes. She vaguely heard someone shout. She's awake! It sounded like Charmy. She groaned, but even that hurt her throat. She squinted to adjust to the light, but there was no need as a dozen or so people gathered round her. The faces came into focus. Cream, Tails, Knuckle-head, and a bunch of others.

"Rouge! Are you okay?" Knuckles questioned worriedly. Rouge was about to snap back something along the lines of "Well yeah Knuckles, I feel swell! I've only almost been strangled to death." but all that came out of was a hoarse croak. Tails felt her throat.

Hmm, her throat could be badly bruised. She might not be able to talk for a while. he diagnosed. Does it hurt? Rouge feebly nodded he head, hating for seeming so weak, especially in front of Knuckles.

I sent Espio to get to painkillers for ya. Chris popped in. In fact, where is he? His eyes darted about the room.

* * *

About twenty minutes after running into Chris, and about walking into a hundred different rooms, Espio finally found the bathroom. He sighed, and reached a hand out to tug open the stiff door of the cupboard. Okay, all he needed were some painkillers. He ducked his head down to see inside, and groaned.

There were fifty-million different jars of pills inside.

* * *

Amy entered with a glass of water. It's the only thing we can do until Espio gets back. she sighed.

"Maybe we should go find him." dithered Tails.

He'll be fine, he is Chaotix afterall. smirked Vector, proudly. Tails shrugged.

After taking a large gulpful of water (and choking on most of it) Rouge felt much better.

Okay Rouge, this might b hard, but we need you to tell us who tried to kill you. explained Knuckles as he leaned over her. A flash of red seared into Rouge's mind. She winced. Sorry, it probably still hurts doesn't it? apologized Knuckles. Take your time. Rogue took a deep breath. Re- re-edddddd

They all blinked. "Okay… red. Red what?" curiously asked Charmy. Rouge began to continue, but everyone's suggestions stopped her.

"A red dress?" asked Cream.

"What about red sin?" pressed Tails.

"Red lipstick?"

"A red car?"

"Was his name red?"

Rouge shook her head to all of these. Now her ears hurt, as well as her voice. "I know!" exclaimed Knuckles. "You can draw them." Chris handed him a pad of paper and a pencil, and he handed it to Rouge. She shakily took the pencil in her hand, and steadied the pad on her lap. She began to sketch the vague outline she saw illuminated in the lightning. The gleam of his boy, the red shine of his eyes, the sharp pointy hands.

When she'd finally finished, everyone crowded round. Who is that? asked Cream and Amy. Knuckles and Tails looked at each other in fear. they whispered. Then the lights flickered out like a candle, sweapign them away into darkness.

* * *

After reading a gazillion labels, Espio's hand came to rest on a bottle of ibuprofen. This'll do. he thought, too annoyed and tired to find anything better. He stood up, and stretched his aching back, sore from stooping for so long. Then, he sensed something. Almost something too small to recognise, but nothing went by his super-senses without being noticed. A small movement, from outside. He slowly and cautiously made his way to the window, and glanced out. He thought there was nothing there, until something shifted outside. what the…? he thought. Then his eyes narrowed in realisation ,but it was too late. A great, metallic form crashed through the window, knocking Espio off his feet. Espio tried to fight back, but then the lights went out, and all he knew was darkness.

* * *

Sonic's eye caught a flash of movement from outside. He squinted, trying to adjust his emerald eyes to the outside surroundings. He couldn't be sure but… he thought he saw a jagged shape leaping past the window, but it was too dark to tell. After a minute of staring, he decided it must have been something blowing past. He took another gulp of air, then made to walk back into the living room, to check how Rouge was. But he was stopped in his tracks, as the lights flickered, then went off completely…

* * *

Although you couldn't see it through the blackness, as a screaming, inhuman sound echoed around the tiled walls of the bathroom, a pill bottle rolled out of the chameleon's limp hand, onto the corridor outside.

* * *

**So there you have it... my epic fail of a chapter -_- I feel really bad guys, especially cuz you've been giving me laods of support! I know this chapter's not much, but I'd rather tell you guys what's happening then make you wait.  
But now... it's up to YOU! Yeah YOU!  
You see, characters have to die in this story. It's a necessity. But I want to know which ones you guys want to die! And don't be prejudice and post something like OMFG I wannnnnt Chris to diiie cuz he's so stoooopid.. Really think about the plotline, and which characters miht be best dead.  
So, with that, I leave you guys.  
~BananaSkins xx**


	20. A Plan

**Author's Note:  
Urgh guys, sorry for the long wait! It was due to many things. (Lack of inspiration, exams, etc.) But now I'm back! :D I have a few mock exams in the upcoming couple of weeks, but after that it's just pure bliss and Christmas break! :D Plus, I have a lot of ideas for this story! Maybe don't expect updates as often, but don't worry, I'm planning on finishing it! :P Read on...**

**

* * *

**

**~Waters of Change~****  
A Plan**

At first, nobody moved. Then slowly, worried murmurs started to build up, until there was quite a commotion. Cream grabbed hold of Amy's arm, while Knuckles and Tails squinted to see in the dark. Chris felt a hand link up with his own, and it took him a few seconds to realise it was Helen's. He gave it a squeeze. "Don't worry, I'll stop this." he whispered, and then felt for the table. He climbed onto of it, and shouted out.

"EVERYBODY SHUT UP!" The panicked noise died down, as the heads of people turned to the sound of the noise. "Everybody stay calm! There was probably just a power cut from the storm. A tree maybe fell on a power line. Anyway, this is my house, so I know where all the candles and torches are. But I can't help hand them out alone. So can people please come and help?"

The silence answered his question. Nobody particularly wanted to go traipsing round a large house in the middle of a power cut, not to mention the creepy wind whistling around outside. People quivered in their shoes at the idea. Then suddenly:

"I'll go!" volunteered Helen. Chris smiled through the darkness. Helen had a way with people. They just naturally calmed down around her. She could be useful when calming people came into play.

"Oaky, thanks Helen. Now…" Chris began devising a plan in his head. "Knuckles, you and Cream stay with Rouge. Tails, can you and my Grandpa see if you can find the electrical circuit. Maybe you could connect a chaos emerald to generate us some power. Amy, can you spread word to everyone in the house on this floor that we're doing all we can? Sonic, can you do the same on the third floor, and Vector Espio, Charmy, the second floor. Danny, Francis, see if anyone needs help." Everyone nodded in response to their task, although no one could see each other in the darkness. Then, someone piped up. "But wait, Espio still isn't back is he?" And another voice. "Yeah, and I haven't seen Sonic either."

Chris gulped. That was right, Espio still hadn't returned with the pain killers, and he had no idea where Sonic was. "Okay..." he began again. "Scratch that. Amy, go look for them, and Francis and Danny, cover this floor. Oh and make sure to tell everyone to meet in the Grand Hall." Questioning silence greeted him. "Well, the Grand Hall is the biggest room in the house, and I think it would be easier if we all stuck together. Cream, you know where the Grand Hall is, don't you?"

Cream replied with a yes, and Cheese added in a "Chao chao!"

"Alright, then you and Knuckles help transport Rouge there and bring the others in this room with you. Alright everyone, go!" People began to disperse, first Amy, fumbling and bumping through the crowds of people, closely followed by The Chaotix (or atleast, two of them). Chris' parents stood together in the corner and smiled. They were proud of their son for handling the situation so well, especially since they were as scared as the rest of the guests!

"He's really growing up, isn't he?" asked his mother.

"He sure is." replied Mr. Thorndike, with a secret smile.

* * *

Metal's mechanical ears pricked up. That was noisier than he had anticipated. Still, he sensed no disturbances in the air, and his sensors picked up no heat masses. He kicked the chameleon's body out of the way, and quietly closed the door with a small creak. He lifted his wrist, and a small screen with a keyboard formed on it, its screen giving off a faint bluish glow in the darkness. His slender metal fingers pressed a few numbers, then he held the device closer to his mouth.

"Yes Metal, what is it?" a little, scratchy, nasally voice ripped out through the communicator device.

"I have cut the power." replied Metal simply. "And I have killed an unknown victim. The hedgehog is harder to isolate.

"Hmm…" thought Eggman. "What else have you done?"

"I almost eliminated another, a bat identified as Rouge." Silence echoed from the speaker. "However, I was interrupted by the echidna, Knuckles."

"So, they know someone's trying to get them, do they? No matter! Now is the perfect time to initiate plan B! Soon, Sonic and all his friends will trouble me no more!" A laugh echoed out from the communicator, but it wasn't Eggman's usual comic evil genius laugh. It had changed somehow, to a much deeper, more heartless laugh, that sent shivers down your spine. "I'm sending you the robots now Metal. You know what to do. Once they're in, send me the signal and I'll engage the deadlock system."

"Yes, Doctor." replied Metal emotionlessly.

"Don't fail me Metal. Don't fail me."

"No, Doctor." assured the robot, and he turned off the communicator. He turned to the window, and his rivulets tightened as he saw a small army of shapeless black blobs making their way into the Thorndike's front yard.

* * *

"The electricity box should be this way." stated Chuck as he guided Tails down another long, dark hall. "Just a few more corridors."

Tails shivered. It seemed the heat had gone off along with the power. He followed the light that shone from Chuck's mobile phone. It sent eerie shadows spiralling across the walls like twisted figures from a Tim Burton film.

They eventually reached a small cupboard which, when opened, contained a large grey box. Chuck grasped the key hanging off a chain next to it, and squeaked open the metal box. "Now, if I can find the right wires, I can hopefully find a way to hook up the chaos emerald to it." He held up the shimmery, ruby red emerald they had collected from Chuck's laboratory on the way. "I think it's…" his voice trailed off.

"What is it?" asked Tails, standing on tiptoes in an attempt to se over Chuck's shoulder. The old man turned suddenly, and held out a fat bundle of wires.

"They… they've been cut. All of them!" Tails gasped, and looked closely at the log of wires. There must have been about 80 or so wires all bundled together, (Remember, the Thorndike's had a big house, not to mention all the electricity Chuck would need for his lab) and they were all cut clean, obviously all at once judging by the straight line that ran right through them all.

"What could have done this?" Tails found himself asking.

"Something powerful." replied Chuck with a grimace. "Something really powerful."

* * *

After much manoeuvring in the darkness and with the help of a few guests, Knuckles managed to get Rouge comfortably on his back. Then, with the assistance of Cream, they began making their way towards the Grand Hall.

"If I remember correctly, the Hall should be at the end of the corridor after this left turn." judged Cream, and she confidently led the way. Knuckles and the others followed suite. He kept looking back to make sure everyone was there. Yep, still 7 guests, plus him Rouge, Cream and Cheese. He didn't know why, but the house and situation they were in made him really paranoid.

Sure enough, at the end of the corridor was the Grand Hall. One massive window stretched across the main wall, and the layout of the panes made it seem like a giant spider's web. Knuckles laid Rouge out on a nearby sofa as the other guests began dispersing across the vast room. It was the type of room that, normally, (without all the chairs and sofas) would be used for a ball or dance of some sort.

Luckily, the chairs and sofas were all still here, so there was plenty of room for the guests to get comfortable. A few people had phones which casted cheap bright lights across the room, and the rest was lit up by the night sky shining through the window. Even in a storm, the moon's beams still found a way to shine faintly through the sea of clouds. The occasional flash of lightning lit up the room, a small glimpse for everyone to see each other. Gradual chitchat began filling the room and more people filtered through the various doors leading into the room. The Chaotix, Danny and Francis must be getting word round fast. Soon, the room held about 30 or so people. Knuckles didn't think there were many left. Most of the guests had fled in the storm.

Soon, the familiar faces of Chris and Helen poked through the door, their arms full of candles, matches and light sources of every sort. "We gave a few to The Chaotix, Amy and Danny and Francis as we walked by them. But the rest are to stay in here. We could use some light." He squinted at Knuckles. "We need to hand these out." Ella and Mr. Tamaki approached, having seen the group together.

"It would be our honour to hand these out." He bowed to Chris, and took a flashlight in each hand. Ella did the same, and the two made their way through the crowd.

"Oh, we have batteries as well." smiled Helen, and held up a box full of batteries of all shapes and sizes. Cream took them. "Let's place them on the table in the centre of the room." She giggled helpfully, and the two also disappeared. Chris held up some matches, candles, and gestured to some battery powered lamps. "Let's put these round the room, okay?" Knuckles silently nodded, and picked up some candles. He took a last look at Rouge, then trudged on through the crowds, and the darkness was gradually pierced with the light from lit candles and flashlights.

* * *

You're probably wondering what our blue friend has been doing since the lights cut out, aren't you? Well, being the hero and man of action (or hedgehog of action) that he is, his first thought was to take a look around. He whizzed down corridor after corridor, until he eventually came to the room where he had last seen Chris and Amy and everyone. But it was empty. He scratched his head. Where was everyone? He immediately jumped to the conclusion that they were all in trouble, kidnapped or something. So he sprinted around the house, desperately searching for someone, anyone, or the source of the blackout.

Little did he know Amy was just round the corner, searching for him or Espio. She didn't particularly want to go looking for Sonic. That was something the old, love struck Amy would do. But it was stupid to let her feelings get in the way of helping everyone, so here she was, trudging up and down corridors aimlessly, searching for signs of life. As she scanned the rooms with the little flashlight Chris had given her, she thought back to the times when she had chased Sonic about, desperate for a date, or a picnic, or just to talk to him. He was like the opposite end of a magnet, the side that always repelled.

So it came as a complete surprise to her when she ran smack dab into him while turning a corner. The impact threw both of the hedgehogs off their feet and back into opposite walls. The flashlight flew out of Amy's hand, smacked against a nearby wall, and went out.

"Ow!" exclaimed Amy, as she rubbed her forehead.

"Sorry!" apologized Sonic, and reached out to comfort the person he had run into, when he realised it was Amy He awkwardly and quickly removed his hand from her shoulder, and stood up. Amy wasn't just hurt now, she was annoyed. Was this damn hedgehog always going to cause her pain?

"You should watch where you're going Sonic." she grumbled as she rose to her feet.

"Sorry, but it IS kinda dark ya know?" he replied with his usual carefree air.

"Urgh, whatever. Stupid hedgehog" she mumbled.

"Anyway..." continued Sonic. "Why ARE you here anyway?"

"Looking for you, 'cause Chris thought you couldn't' manage alone." said Amy slyly, as she felt about for the flashlight she had dropped. "Also, have you seen Espio around? He went to get some painkillers for Rouge, but he didn't return."

"No… I haven't." replied Sonic, and the two broke into a worried silence. Amy's hand eventually closed around the small, steel handle of the flashlight.

"Finally!" she muttered, and flicked the switch. But the only thing that greeted Amy was a dull, resounding click. "Thanks a lot Sonic, you broke my flashlight!" She was only greeted by a guilty and thoughtful silence. "Anyway." she continued. "I'm off to look for Espio." She started back in the direction she came, when Sonic's warm, strong hand grabbed her slender wrist.

"Oh no, you're not getting away that easily! Do you really think I'll let you search around this house in the dark alone? I'm coming with you!"

Amy groaned. The last thing she needed was Sonic following her about. It was strange, a month or so ago when would have dreamed for Sonic to follow her around. Now it was just a nuisance. "Fine!" she huffed, knowing that she couldn't convince him otherwise.

Sonic smiled triumphantly. "Well, Espio went to find some painkillers you said? Well let's check the bathrooms then." Amy sighed. She was just about to say that. They began weaving their way through the maze of corridors, Amy up front, constantly hitting the torch with her hand, in an attempt to get it to work, and Sonic close behind, looking around with his sharp eyes, untrusting to the walls around him.

BANG!

Sonic stopped in his tracks. He looked around, scanning the surroundings. Was that the sound of a door slamming, or just the wind bashing against the house? He took a peek in a nearby room. Nothing. He scratched his head, ashamed. Being paranoid was usually Knuckles' job. Meanwhile, Amy had carried on ahead, unaware of Sonic stopping. She walked past a smallish room, perfect bathroom size.

"Hey Sonic, I think this is a bathroom." Sonic came back to his senses at the distant beck of Amy's voice.

She squinted inside, but she couldn't tell if it was a bathroom or not. "If only you hadn't busted the flashlight, I might be able to see!" She hit the flashlight a couple of times, and finally, the little bulb flickered and sputtered to life. It flashed in her face, momentarily blinding her. "Sonic! I got it working!" she called out, and squinted to see past the bright specks dancing about in her eyes. As they disappeared, she thought she could make out a shape, a heap on the floor. She blinked again, and curiously shone the light on the dark heap…

…and let out an ear splitting scream.

Sonic's head snapped towards Amy' scream, as it rebounded down the corridor. "AMY!" he frantically called, and sprinted blinding down the corridor, towards the light in the doorway. He almost ran into her again, slipping on a stray pill bottle, but stopped just outside the door. "Amy! What is it? Wha-" Amy lifted a pale, quivering finger, and pointed towards the ground. Sonic glanced down, following her direction, and gasped in surprise!

The pale, lifeless body of Espio lay on the ground, eyes rolled back, and his head at such an angle that it had clearly been snapped like a twig.

* * *

The sound sensors of the metallic form pricked up at the distant scream. He smiled. They had found him. It was time.

He ushered the last of the robots through the back door, and then stepped inside himself. Then, he reopened the communicator. "Doctor. It is time." There was no reply from the speaker, but the sound of a switch being flicked told Metal the message was through. Suddenly, thick metal barriers appeared out of nowhere, and slid over the windows and door, encasing all of the possible exits of the Thorndike's house in a glistening shell of metal.

"Now it begins." chimed Metal emotionlessly, and he began giving the robots their orders.

* * *

**Meh, not the longest of chapters, but then again, I'm not much of a long chapter writer :P  
So.. what are the mysterious robots? How will Sonic and his friends escape? Will Sonic and Amy ever work things out?  
Also, a note to Sonamy fans: I realise that this story isn't massively about Sonamy, or water so far :L Well, I guess I'm not the type to have heaps of Sonamy fluffiness, but don't worry, there will be a bit more about them later on :) But if you're the type who wants to read a sweet, fluffy story revolving around Sonamy, thne you've read the wrong story :/ But if you're looking for a story fileld with suspense, action and some romance, hopefully you've come to the right place :) As for the water, it'll link back in the end ;)  
AND: I've taken into account the suggestions of people about who should die, and I thank you for them. You'll find out within later chapters ;P But for this installment's question:**

**WHAT DO YOU THINK THIS STORY NEEDS MORE OF?  
E.G. Action scenes, more romance between (insert character) and (insert character), family moments, more with Eggman, etcetcetc.**


	21. Caged In

**Author's Note:  
Sorry for the slow updating guys, but this is a busy year of my life :/ Still, stay with me while writing this, cuz I won't give it up :D This chapter is sorta setting the scene a bit for what's to come, I promise more romance and fighting in the next chapter. But I warn you now, more people are gonna start dying... O_O**

* * *

**~Waters of Change~**

**Caged In**

Several emotions ran through Amy's head. First shock and surprise barged in, then nausea crept through, forcing her to collapse against the wall. Finally, overwhelming sadness for her dead friend. As she sat on the floor, unable to take her eyes away from the ground, in fear of glancing once more at Espio's glazed over eyes, no longer seeing, Sonic was searching around the room with his keen eyes, not yet wanting to examine the body to determine the cause of death. Nothing in the room was disturbed. With no other alternative, Sonic moved on to the body. Although it was obvious that the neck had been snapped, there were no clues as to who or what did it.

As he did this, Amy was sure she could hear a sound, faint in the distance, and the hairs on her body pricked up as she encountered a further emotion. Fear.

"S..Sonic?" she called out weakly to him. Sonic turned in surprise, forgetting she was there in his thorough examination.

"What is it Ames?" he asked, daring to use the nickname he hadn't so much as uttered since their fight. A few minutes ago she was cool and distant from him, but now she edged closer to him, looking around with paranoia.

"Sonic." she continued. "Whatever k- ….. Whatever did this to Espio is still out there, right? It could still be... nearby."

Sonic gulped down his fear. She had a point. Clearly it had to be something powerful to take down Espio. Sonic was at a disadvantage being in the dark with not much room to fight. If he was with any other person, he would have shared these thoughts with them, but he was with Amy. He glanced at the worried, innocent, frightened look that she gave him. He had to be strong... for her.

"Don't worry Ames, I'm here for ya." he reassured as he reached out an arm and pulled her close. "Nothing's gonna get you while I'm around." Amy sniffed, and rested her head against Sonic's warm chest. She could hear his heart beating, a little faster than normal. Sonic closed his eyes, concentrating on the warm form of Amy resting against him. It felt… nice. No! What was he thinking, they were in the middle of a crisis!

He was about to get up, when he heard footsteps coming round the corner. Both hedgehogs' ears pricked up as they shifted apart, and they angled their heads to see who it was. Sonic clenched his fists, preparing for the worst, but then the familiar silhouettes of Tails and Chuck came into view. Both hedgehogs sighed with relief.

"Guys, we've got a crisis!" let out Sonic and Tails at the same time. Both looked in shock at one another, tying to imagine what could possibly be worse. "You first" they both said, once again, synchronised. They let out a nervous giggle. Sonic, who couldn't even imagine how he was going to explain Espio's death to Tails, simple said "You go first." So Tails began telling his story.

* * *

Well, that's the last of the lights candles and other stuff handed out. Nice job guys!" Chris smiled triumphantly at the Chaotix, Francis, Danny and Helen. The hall was now lit with dots of lights from every source possible, flickering lazily about like fireflies. After no one else had appeared through the doorway in over 20 minutes, Mr. Tanaka had done a head count. There were around 25 guests in the room, plus him, Ella, Cream, Rouge, Knuckles, Chris, Helen, Francis, Danny, and The Chaotix. No one knew where Tails, Chuck, Sonic Amy or Espio were, but they were confident that they were safe.

Still, this didn't stop a flicker of worry dash fleetingly across Chris' face. Mr. Tanaka noticed this, and placed a firm, comforting hand on Chris' shoulder. "Master Chris, I am positive that your friends are all right. After all, Master Sonic can handle himself, yes?" Chris smiled.

"He sure can." He muttered to himself. "It's not him I'm worried about." His thoughts trailed back to the unseen Espio. Although he was a skilled fighter, it wasn't like him to disappear off without at least letting people know where he was. He shook the thoughts from his head, and instead concentrated on Helen's face, lighting up the room brighter than any light, with an inside joke shared with Cream and Francis.

* * *

Sonic and Amy sat still and silent after Tails and Chuck ahd finished explaining. Sonic puzzled over his thoughts. "So, all of the wires were just... cut in half? Who could have done it?"

Tails looked at him questioningly. "You mean you don't know?"

"Know what?" Amy asked.

"Well Rouge... Knuckles said..." He took a deep, worried breath. "He said that the person who attacked Rouge, we think it was Metal."

"Metal?" Sonic sharply sucked his breath in. "But that's impossible."

"We know, that's what we're confused about." sighed Tails.

"Anyway, what was it you wanted to tell us?" asked Chuck. Sonic and Amy shared a saddened and worried look.

"Espio's dead." Sonic said flatly, unable to say it any other way without his voice cracking. Tails blinked at him.

"Waht, no way. He couldn't. Wha-" Sonic just gestured to the bathroom door, still ajar. Tails nad Chuck made their way over, and peaked inside. "No no no no no, this can't be happening." groaned Tails.

"Well it is buddy. And there's nothing we can do to sotp it." said Sonic, stone cold with hatred for the Metal robot haunting his dreams.

* * *

Metal's hand wavered over the button disabling the invisibility force field surrounding the metal barriers. As soon as he pressed this, the humans would be alerted to his presence. He was sure that the blue hedgehog and his friends knew he was here already, after his slip-up with the bat. However, he still had the element of surprise in his hands. They had no idea what was coming.

The metallic grind of the robots disappearing off into the corridors had long since faded. There was no use waiting any longer. He pressed the small, yellow button, and heard the whoosh as the invisibility force field dissolved. Then, quiet as a rat, he slunk down the corridor, searching for new pray.

* * *

Rouge wasn't sure what quite had happened. All she knew was one second she was starting to sit up on the sofa, searching round for someone she knew, then suddenly darkness washed over them. Well, almost darkness. People still had flashlights lit, but the sudden disappearance of the moonlight came as a shock. Most of the guests started to panic, running about franticly, clinging to each other. Rouge groaned, and massaged her neck. She could do with some painkillers. As if Chris knew her pain, he set out to make it worse, and shouted out to everyone.

"Calm down!" Flashlights flickered towards the sound, illuminating the young Thorndike balanced on a table in the centre of the room. "Everyone please quieten down! We don't know where that barrier came from, but we're gonna find out. It's no use panicking, it's not doing any harm, is it?" Guests uttered in agreement. Rouge muttered in sympathy for her aching head. She sat up, feeling dizzy spells twirl about behind her eyes, but kept her ground.

"Rouge!" She turned to the person calling her voice.

"Knuckle-head" she smiled to herself. The echidna dashed over, and offered her a supporting arm.

"You shouldn't be up and about." He scolded worriedly. "You're not completely better.

"I'm fine" lied Rouge, and struggled to stand by herself.

"Well, at least your awake, we're having a meeting about what to do." Knuckles explained, and led Rouge over to a group of people huddled in the corner. Chris' voice drifted through the air as they approached.

"… and this could only be down to Metal. We need to divide into groups, and decide what to do."

"We must keep the guests calm." worried Mr. Tanaka. "If they panic too much, they will be impossible to control. Although…" he glanced behind Chris, towards where his parents were socialising with a group of important but worried group of people. "Mr and Mrs. Thorndike seem to be handling it rather well."

"Me, Helen, Francis, Cheese and I can help too!" piped up Cream. Ella put an arm round her.

"And I will look after you" she grinned affectionately.

"Also…" Chris paused. "I think we should send some people looking for the others." Silence answered him. Everyone else had been thinking the same thing. "I mean, otherwise we'll just be hanging about doing nothing. Plus, I'm sure we could use the extra brains figuring out Metal's plot. So, who wants to go?"

After a pause, Knuckles raised his spiked glove. "I'll go. My fighting skills aren't put to much use here."

"And I'll go with him." stated Rouge.

"Rouge are you sure, you're still-" started Knuckles.

"I'm fine" she snapped. "And besides someone needs to make sure you don't do something stupid." Knuckles opened his mouth to say something, but closed it again, turning slightly red.

"We'll go too." chimed Charmy. "I wanna know where Espio's gone." Vector nodded.

"Alright, then me and Danny can-" Chris was interrupted by Mr. Tanaka.

"No Master Chris, you must stay here."

"Bu-"

"You are not skilled enough to go wandering about in the shadows with a killer robot on the loose. However, people look up to you. You are better off staying here, and giving orders, especially if Master Sonic and the others find their way back."

Chris was about to argue, when Helen put a soft hand on his arm. "He's right Chris." she said softly but firmly. He looked down at her innocent face, then sighed.

"Alright." he grumbled. Every broke into relieved smiles, and began separating out to their tasks.

* * *

The sudden whoosh of moonlight disappearing stopped Sonic, Amy, Tails and Chuck in their tracks. They were makign their way down a corridor, searching for everyone else, when the barrier blackened out the moon. At first, the four of them looked round in confusion. Amy broke the silence, moving closer to Sonic.

"What just happened?" she asked shakily.

"I dunno. Let's check it out." Tails stood up, and crept to the nearest room. He opened the door, and peeked in. "Huh?" he said confused, and made his way to the window.

"What is it bud?" asked Sonic, following in Tails' footsteps, Amy and Chuck close behind.

"Well look. The curtains are drawn, but there's absolutely no light coming in from the window. Even a bit of moonlight still gets through storm clouds." He attempted to squint through the window, but saw nothing but darkness. He looked back at the others. "Chuck, pass me that candlestick". He gestured to it on the side table. Chuck obeyed, and Tails swung it at the window, causing a cascade of glass to twinkle down from the frame. "Flashlight, Sonic." He held out a hand, which was filled by the flashlight's handle. He shone it out, and gasped. The others looked out of the window and repeated the same reaction.

A wall of metal, about a foot away from the window, blocked their view. Sonic dashed to Tails' side, and rapped his gloved knuckles on the metal. A hollow sound came from it, but Sonic knew that no amount of gold rings could enable him to grind his way through it.

"Hmm." he thought puzzled, then began pacing round the room. The others ignored him, searching for the reasoning behind this.

"So…. we're essentially trapped in a giant dome of metal." Amy concluded. "With no known way out, and a psycho robot on the loose?" Tails and Chuck's worried expressing said it all.

"I've got it!" exclaimed Sonic, reminding the others that he was still in the room. "Metal's a smart robot. Veeery smart. But, it's not like him to build a massive contraption like this, and have it all laid out so carefully. He's more of the wing-it type."

"Well maybe he's changed his ways, Sonic." grumbled Amy, not understanding his excitement.

"No, wait! He obviously wants revenge for us all, but he isn't going straight for the kill. Now, obviously a psychopathic robot would want to string it out and make us suffer for as long as possible, but I somehow don't think he'd have the equipment or the patience to build all of this. He isn't exactly an expert in electronics."

"For God's sake Sonic, maybe he just got stronger from when we last saw him!" snapped Amy, her patience running out.

"But you guys are missing a crucial detail!" said Sonic, exasperated. They all looked at him, questioningly. He sighed. "Metal was destroyed! How could he suddenly be here now! There's only one explanation…" The truth began to dawn on them.

"Who's probably the only person who knows how to put back together a super-evil robot?" Sonic shot out. "Who's organised enough to put together a plan like this? Who would have the equipment to build this? Who haven't we seen, let alone heard about any recent take-over-the-world plans of his for over a year, because he's probably been plotting something big for a while?"

They all sucked their breath in, then whispered in final realisation.

"Eggman."

* * *

**So the heroes finally guessed the master behind it all. But do they know how unhinged he is? And hwat about the creppy robots entering the house? More to come next time :)  
Question: If each robot has an individual power, name one of two of powers they might ahve E.G. Superspeed, and say who the'd be matched up with in a fight, E.G. Superspeed with Sonic.**


End file.
